


no light, no light

by yahootoldyou



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Dark, Emperor Skywalker, F/M, M/M, Multi, Padmé Amidala Lives, Sith Obi-Wan, eventually, luke and leia are kids, sith!AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-08-16 19:23:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8114542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yahootoldyou/pseuds/yahootoldyou
Summary: deception. rebellion. power. when the galaxy's deadliest trio comes together, who will end up on top? only time will tell...ORwhen Padmé and Obi-Wan escape mustafar only to be caught later on by Emperor Skywalker, the galaxy's destiny takes a lot of twists and turns and ends in a very different place.





	1. the light goes out

Obi-Wan clutches her hand in his, holding it tightly by his side. The sight before them is gory, it is disgusting. Padmé feels the vomit skyrocketing forward from the pit of her stomach, but she swallows it back, the cruel smirk painting Vader’s face too tragically similar to the one of her lost lover. The holo is playing on repeat in front of them, left as a gift from their beloved. He slaughters them while he cackles, taking down body after body. Padmé shivers as Obi-Wan clenches her hand tighter, reminding her not to get lost in the vision of Vader as he decapitates a child before turning to the camera, a wide, manic grin far too visible on his face.

“It’s your fault. Both of yours. Until I have you and the children back in my possession, I promise to wreak havoc in this galaxy from end to end. No planet- no innocent spared from my wrath.” He pauses as if expecting Obi-Wan and Padmé to answer. They don’t, this is isn't a com, it is a recording. Any horrible thing they could think to say to the monster they both love is swallowed as they clutch each other for dear life. 

“You see, my loves, my former Master created a super weapon capable of destroying planets and perhaps entire systems before he died. Now that I’m in charge, I don't want to use it, but I will if you force my hand. You belong with me, you should know this.” Anakin has lost his manic humor, becoming darkly serious. Obi-Wan trembles with the knowledge that Anakin isn't referring to him as his former master, instead granting the title to that fucker Palpatine. Padmé’s eyes have widened in fear and Obi-Wan wants to look into her eyes, to tell her that it wont end like this, that they can beat him. The truth, the one neither of them wants to admit to, is that they can’t win this. Not with Emperor Skywalker looking so thoroughly for them. They don't know why he chose Skywalker to be his royal name. Perhaps it is because Anakin Skywalker was a hero that many people already adored and supported. More likely it was to prove to his two wayward spouses that he still is the man they married, no matter how much he’s changed.

“My Padmé, My Obi-Wan, you have seventy-two hours to come to me, or else I will blow up both Naboo and Alderaan.” The two stand in the cockpit of the ship and know that as of now they are property of Emperor Skywalker, no matter what that means for their safety. Looking at Obi-Wan, Padmé seeks confirmation and walks to the safe where they keep only their most precious items. Taking the gold bands, she hands Obi-Wan his even as she hears the faint sob rip from his chest. The wedding rings seem to weigh more than their actual bodies as Obi-Wan and Padmé plan on where to send the children before they return to hell. The holo has frozen on the ending of the recording, revealing Vader with an evil glint in his eyes. It feels as though his yellow eyes are boring into the deepest parts of their souls. Taking a deep breath, they turn and walk out, not bothering to shut it off. It’s not like anyone will be inhabiting the ship for much longer. 

 

 

Ahsoka Tano watches two of the people she considers her parents suffer. Bitter anger threatens to overcome her for her former master, for her best friend, he father figure. Anakin Skywalker had betrayed all of them long ago and nothing could change that. Even then, it was hard to watch Obi-Wan and Padmé clutch on to the children tighter than anyone should ever have to, as if they were memorizing the feeling of the small bodies as they curled into their’s. Luke and Leia are too you young to realize what “staying with Auntie ‘Soka for a while” means. They're seven now, much older and much more aware of what shape the galaxy is in, but they don't know about their biological father, the one Obi-Wan and Padmé have been running from for ages now. Ahsoka has tried multiple times to convince them this isn't necessary, but they wont tell her what’s at stake, what Anakin has threatened this time. It must be horrible, the other threats had never been listened to before. She winces in sympathy as the kids run through Ahsoka’s legs into the Tatooian hut in the Jundland Wastes. It was the only place that they were all sure Vader would never willingly go and the hut is relatively isolated. The parents have said goodbye to their children, now it is time for them to say goodbye to her. She isn't ready, she may never be ready for the weight of what this means.

“Ahsoka, please be safe. Keep them and yourself out of harms way until one of us can make contact with you.” Obi-Wan requests as Padmé wraps her in a tight hug. They say their sorrowful goodbyes before taking off, the two brightest stars in the galaxy heading off into it’s biggest black hole. 

 

 

Obi-Wan pilots the ship but he keeps a hand interlocked with Padmé’s, the rings glinting in the artificial light of the spacecraft. They have left behind their entire life in those two children, the things they love most in this galaxy. Their love for the monster Darth Vader, the love for the man he once was, pales in comparison to the bright spot in their souls created by the children, which is why Anakin can never get his hands on them. They have thirty-six hours until Vader blows up the planets and they set course for Coruscant-Imperial Center, now. They should arrive in twenty-four, giving them enough time to make a quick stop on Naboo for the last time. They know that it’ll be dangerous, but they need to see Varykino, the place where they married, the place where the three of them became a team, one last time before they surrender themselves to the monster who claims to love them.

 

 

Naboo is as beautiful as ever, the sunset painting the water a bright pink. It shakes and trembles as the waves move through it before crashing against the shores. The waves remind Padmé of her life, of all that she has done and all she has lost. She worked so hard and got so far into the political world, constantly pushing against the current which wished to spit her out. It had all been for nothing, she had been carelessly thrashed aside by her husband, had had her life stripped from her. She feels empathy for the waves, for working so hard and having their only reward be to crash and disappear, their work meaning nothing. 

“Do you remember…” He starts but stops. Anakin was too heavily involved in this place. It occurs to him far too late that perhaps they no longer want to remember. Morning after morning waking up with his lovers and breakfast in the nook. His sunny memories fill the sunny place but his soul is empty and with that thought he ends his reverie. 

Obi-Wan has his arm around her and they both have tears on their faces. They feel like they are on the outside looking in on a home that used to be theirs, but now belongs to someone else. It’s foreign, the happiness they used to experience there never returning to light their souls. They don't dare look toward the bedroom as they stand on the very balcony where they wed. Things change, but places more often than not don't and Varykino is still beautiful but it is no longer a happy space for them. The sun has almost completely set, the sky lighting with the individual bright spots of stars and Obi-Wan scoops Padmé into his arms after standing there for several hours. Words were not needed for this, they knew what they were doing. Still, their apologies to each other ring throughout the force. Varykino is ruined much like their marriage, no matter how much they wish it weren't so. The missing gaps remind them of poetry and both pay their respects to their pasts before walking off. 

 

 

When they land on Coruscant, they decide to surprise their former lover, one last rebellion before they willingly hand themselves over into what will more than likely be captivity. They are talented, they always have been. Both much more stealthy than Anakin ever was. They creep around towards the secret entrances to the former temple, now imperial palace. Obi-Wan knows the former Jedi haven like the back of his hand, shoving down the resentment and anger he feels towards Anakin for defiling their home this way. 

“Are you sure you're okay enough to do this?” She checks on him and he smiles at his wife, at the woman he loves, thankful for her consideration.

“Yes, Dear One.” He assures her. Padmé’s force energy calms him, a constant reminder that Obi-Wan must remain in control. He does, the light side of the force urging him forward as they enter the lower levels of the temple. Their are stormtroopers surrounding them instantly and honestly, Obi-Wan should’ve seen this coming. Any secret entrance he had known he had shown Anakin once upon a time. He hears more steady steps making their way towards them but he doesn't get to see the man who now refers to himself as Vader before he hears: “Set weapons to stun, I want them unconscious but unharmed.” Their sneak attack had turned against them and as he feels Padmé go limp next to him as the blue beams are blasted towards them he desperately tries to resist the power of the blasts. 

“Foolish, Love, you know I know all of your old tricks.” It is laughed out cruelly before he goes unconscious, the very scrapes left of his bond with Anakin igniting and flaring furiously as he is sucked into the darkness. The last thought he has before he goes under is whether or not this darkness is what Anakin dwells in now. 

 

 

When Obi-Wan and Padmé awaken they're in a large, lavish room, one most unlike the ones they've shared over the past seven years. The dark curtains are pulled back to reveal the familiar Coruscant skyline and it’s apparently around midday because the sun is shining bright through the window. Obi-Wan shields his eyes, moving to close the curtains before he realizes he’s restrained. He pulls against them, looking around, his hand still lifted above his head. 

“Ah, ah, ah.” He hears a scarily familiar voice tsk. Obi-Wan startles and whips around, finding a shadow towards the back of the room. He looks and finds that Padmé must’ve discovered the shadow long ago. Her face is stony and unreadable, but Obi-Wan sees the tremble in her fingers. Padmé looks at Obi-Wan, a flash of fear shining in her bright brown eyes. He wants to yell and scream but he cant because suddenly there is no air in his lungs. 

“Don’t. Look. Away. From. Me.” Anakin seethes, the force pulling Obi-Wan and Padmé as close to him as the restraints will allow. 

“Anakin, please. You're scaring her.” Obi-Wan pleads against his better judgement. The yellow is bright in his eyes as he chokes Obi-Wan harder, the force constricting around his neck like one of the snakes that live on Dagobah with Master Yoda. 

“Oh, you should be scared too, Old Man! You two left me, abandoned me!” The force rages around Anakin and he storms around the room, metal crunching from the force of his anger.

“Anakin, please!” Obi-Wan forces out with the little air left in his lungs. He is released, falling on the floor. He sprawls there, not finding within himself enough strength to stand.

“You both will never leave me again, do you understand? We’re going to be happy and we’re going to rule the galaxy and make things the way they should be.” Mustafar is playing behind his eyelids as Obi-Wan clenches them shut. He can feel when Padmé starts to cry and wants more than anything to make it stop. It would seem that they're stuck there, though and so he just reaches out comfortingly with the force, rubbing her back. 

“Now,” Anakin starts again, and they freeze as the temperature drops in the room, “where are my children?” 

 

Kriff.


	2. sunlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ahsoka and the twins bond while padmé and obi-wan get used to their new surroundings

Obi-Wan spits on the ground near where he has been chained, wincing when he sees the blood. This means that there is probably some internal damage to his upper respiratory area along with the bruises that litter his body. Padmé flinches whenever she looks directly at him, keeping her eyes averted to his lower robes. In normal situations he would make a joke, some crack sarcastic statement to make her laugh. Before, she would have. Now, he’s not so sure. He stares at the bloody spit for much longer than he should, not thinking of much of anything at all.

“Obi-Wan?” She asks and he looks up, a dazed look in his eyes.

“Yes, Love?” He responds automatically, ignoring the blood as it drips down his chin.

“What did he do to you?” She rasps out and he flinches to attention, eyes wide with apprehension. He cant remember anything other than being choked. Had there been more? He looks at her in confusion and she clearly interprets the look correctly because her eyes widen in fear and then settle into sympathy.

“Obi-Wan, your shields. How are they?” He proves a mental finger towards them and repels in shock when he finds them torn to shreds. 

“They’re-they’re,” He stutters in shock, “they’re non-existent.” Horror is alive on his face as he takes a note of his mental state. He feels fine now but obviously he had been seriously violated. Raising a hand to his head, he trembles as he looks towards Padmé. 

“What did he do to me?” He asks in terror. He cant release his feelings into the force, he cannot fall back on his Jedi code. The feelings inside of him are raw like when he was a youngling and they are powerful. 

“What. Did. He. Do. To. Me?!” He screams and Padmé knows it’s not directed towards her but she has never seen such blatant emotion from her husband. She flinches, not out of terror but out of surprise. Obi-Wan is breathing erratically, struggling to calm himself down. After countless hours in war, she figured panic attacks would develop but not because of this.

“Obi-Wan, you have to calm down. Please, breathe with me.” Her voice seems to sooth him and he visibly settles. He isn't calm enough but he’s down from the brink of no control and she considers that a victory in itself. 

“Padmé,” his voice pleads with her, “please. I have to know.” She looks away from him, out towards the Coruscant skyline through the stifling curtains. 

“Obi-Wan, I don’t know. He asked where the children were and when when didn't answer he put his hands on your head. You looked like you were in pain, your teeth clenched and eyes bulging as you looked at him, but then you just started screaming. You were screaming and he laughed until he grew frustrated and stormed out.” She finishes with a huff looking at the crestfallen expression of her husband.

“He was looking for them, for the children. He broke my shields and stormed my brain as if it we were back during the Clone Wars and he stormed a separatist base-“ He chokes on a sob before continuing, “He dug through my memories looking for them. Where we hid them.” Padmé cries out, unable to comprehend what that means for Obi-Wan other than endless pain. Her poor babies, Obi-Wan and the children. He just shakes, his chains rattling on the floor. She wants to ask if Anakin found the children but judging from his frustration, Obi-Wan’s strength had won out in the end. They sit there and he lets himself cry in front of his wife. He cries for everything they have lost, everything they have left to lose and hopes Anakin finds enough kindness to never ever come back into the room.

 

 

Ahsoka takes the twins into Mos Eisley soon after Obi-Wan and Padmê leave. She needs to buy supplies and get some tools to repair the vaporators back at the homestead. Also, she wants to allow the twins to buy some personal items to decorate their rooms. They will more than likely be there a while on the dust ball in the Outer Rim. She holds two small hands in hers, trying to answer their rapid fire questions to the best of her abilities.

“Auntie Snips! Where are we going?”

“When will we get there?” 

“What are we doing?” 

“Can we get some blue milk?”

The twins ask hundreds of questions on the short walk and she answers them all.

“On a walk to the city.”

“Midday. Watch the twin suns, they’ll let you know what time it is.”

“We’re going shopping.”

“Maybe, if you behave.”

Ahsoka grabs a speeder first thing. They need it if they don't want anymore three hour walks into the city. It’s a gamble but an old trader named Watto gives one up easy enough. He spews bullshit about how the speeder was built using the parts of the pod racer which the only human to ever win the Boonta Eve Classic used in his big race, but she isn't really listening. She has two seven year olds oohing and aahing at everything in the shop around them. When the toydarian stops speaking about the pod racer, she buys the speeder and some tools and she leaves. Something about the man sets her off, she doesn't want to stay any longer than she has to. It never occurs to her that maybe she should've asked him the name of the racer. 

Next, she purchases groceries. It’s easy enough, walking through the market. She buys mainly non-perishables, things she can shelve. The few things that need to be refrigerated will go in the small cooler that came in the homestead and the others she can save. The food should last the three of them up to three weeks either way. The children complain, wanting sweets and goodies she shouldn't buy them, but she humors them, buying them each a piece of candy. Their twin grins make her whole week as they move on in the market, moving back towards where they sell home goods. If they're going to live on the dust ball for a while it only makes sense that they customize the place. Obi-Wan and Padmé had furnished the safe house, putting their basic electronics and furniture throughout it. The twins were sharing a room and Ahsoka had her own, each with a bed, a dresser, a mirror, and a trunk.

Leia and Luke each pick out a blanket for their bed and a couple wall hangings, along with some toys. She knows it isn't much for now, but their belongings will grow the longer they’re on Tatooine and it’s a good place to start. She also purchases some room decor and some basic fresher supplies alone with towels and some security measures to protect their home from break ins. They leave the hot desert with a speeder full of supplies for their new home. They take the long way and still make it home an hour earlier than it took to walk there. 

When they move all of the supplies into the house, the twins take off towards their room, hoping to set up their new space.

“Auntie Snips?” Leia asks from down the hall in her room. Ahsoka pauses from hanging the poster of the human winner of the Boonta Eve Classic and heads own the hall to the twin’s room. She bought the poster at the market, something drawing her to it, to him. She still doesn't know who it is, doesn't know how to read hutesse, but the blonde reminds her of someone. 

“Yes, Leia?” She asks, walking into the room with them. They have hung the posters and made their beds, creating a good looking space. The posters hang on their respective sides of the room and Leia’s pink blanket with a bright floral pattern contrasts with Luke’s space blanket. 

“What do you think?” Leia asks, both her and Luke opening their arms in a show-off-ish fashion. Ahsoka laughs and for the first time since they got to Tatooine, she's almost certain she can handle the major task set ahead of her. 

 

 

“Hello, My Loves!” Anakin greets as he sweeps into their lavish prison, head held high, yellow eyes glowing. Obi-Wan and Padmé look at him with disinterested glares, daring him to try something again. He is cheerily oblivious, practically skipping around the room as he opens the curtains that Obi-Wan had force closed, not wanting the sun to awaken Padmé. 

“How are we today?” Anakin asks, trying to bait an answer out of them again. They seem to blink in sync, as if they're both clued into some secret Anakin doesn't know. It doesn't do anything besides make Anakin angrier. 

“The machine is ready whenever I am to be used. So perhaps, Dear Ones, it isn't a good idea for you to upset me purposefully.” Padmé literally bites on her tongue, keeping the scathing comment down in the depth of her soul. Obi-Wan continues to just look at him. For a second, Padmé thinks she sees fear and guilt in Anakin’s eyes for what he has done to the man he loves, but it’s gone before she can be sure. Obi-Wan’s breaths are ragged because of the bruising in his throat but Anakin could care less, paying them less and less attention. Finally, Padmé opens her mouth to answer.

“Have you ever thought that maybe after the way you violated his mind, he cant speak to you?” It’s a lie. Obi-Wan can speak, did hours ago when he first woke up. Anakin seems to buy it though, eyes widening and an apology on his lips before he swallows it. 

“He wants to keep secrets from me, he deserves to deal with the consequences.” Anakin spits harshly and Obi-Wan’s eyes narrow, but he doesn't say anything. In all honesty, his throat hurts like a mother-fucker and he probably shouldn't speak, let alone yell like he did earlier in the day. Anakin watches the emotions flick across Obi-Wan’s face.

“Be careful, Old Man. Your shields are demolished, there is nothing you can keep from me. Especially after we reform our bond.” The mention of something so intimate has Obi-Wan breathing in sharply. There is wild apprehension visible in his rigid body structure and wide eyes. Anakin laughs, clearly knowing Obi-Wan’s reactions like the back of his hand. Never before has Padmé thought about the fact that their greatest enemy is the man who may know them best of all and the thought makes her want to vomit. So much time shared, so many memories, and Anakin threw them away for what? For this? For power? Padmé lets go of what holds her back, falling into her senator mode easily. She is going to argue the fuck out of her husband, Sith Lord or not. 

“He loves you and still you torture him! For what? What has he done to evoke your wrath that I have not done?!” She demands and Anakin looks at her in slight shock. He’s poor at masking his emotions even now as Emperor and Padmé wants to sneer at the act that someone like him ended up Emperor. He has no business in politics, he is like a child. He will never understand them. Obi-Wan startles at this, looking at her and shaking his head. Obi-Wan doesn't want her to anger their husband but Padmé couldn't give any less of a kriffing fuck then she does right now. 

“Do you want to be him, Wife? Do you want to be in his position?” He spits the title like it means nothing to him and the wedding ring weighs heavily on her finger. She’s been by the window for hours now, but suddenly a thought strikes her. 

“If you despise the title so much, Vader, why don't I make things easy for you?” The title she uses also holds so much malice Obi-Wan has to avoid the pure anger in her eyes. She punches the window and doesn't even flinch as her hands erupts, blood pouring out of several small cuts as she rips the ring off of her finger and thrusts her arm out of the broken hole. Anakin and her are making direct eye contact as she drops the ring down into the underworld of Coruscant. The beast roars, anger chilling the room, the temperature actually dropping. Darkness seems to overcome the world as the sunlight seems to disappear and as soon as she even feels her throat constricting Obi-Wan throws himself into the path. Anakin startles but the yellow burns in his eyes.

“You are mine! Ring or not! Both of you will always be mine!” The feeling of her throat being crushed disappears as Anakin sweeps out of the prison, the sunlight seeping back in. Obi-Wan slumps on the ground and Padmé sinks beside him. Wrapping an arm around his waist and putting her head on his shoulder, Padmé closes her eyes. Sitting there in the pile of shattered glass that fell when she broke the window, she finds the moment oddly poetic, the whole scene an imagining of her life as a whole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoop! Two chapters in two day! What do you guys think of chapter 2?


	3. blazing light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the plot thickens

It takes Padmé all of four days to come up with a plan. It isn't a good one, in fact it is very very bad and very very risky. She just cant quite contemplate how else to keep her family safe this time. Obi-Wan is a shaking, jumpy mess beside her and her children are stuck on the very same dust ball that could partially be blamed for Anakin’s decent into whatever the hell he is now. Emperor. His decent into his throne. Anakin comes by every now and then and she cant be sure, but it feels like he’s testing the water every time. Waiting for one of them to show him the kindness they did before all of this happened. He can wait forever if he wants to, she thinks until… Oh yes, that might work. She looks at her ginger husband and runs her fingers through his hair, scratching lightly at his scalp. Obi-Wan unfortunately cannot know what she has to do until his shields are repaired. If Anakin were to discover her plan he would most likely kill her. Perhaps that’s why he always wanted the both of us, some part of him always knew he’d kill one spouse so he needed a back up. She grows enraged at the thought and holds in a scream of frustration. 

Padmé is a politician and that unfortunately means that she is very good at a very bad game. Her manipulation comes not from Jedi mind tricks but from sheer will power and skill with words. Her husbands have always been putty in her hands, men to mold how she saw fit. She had never abused that before but now she may have to. Obi-Wan, when this is over we will be happy, I promise, she thinks as he leans further into her, his breathing still erratic. Palme sits and thinks about how to appeal to Anakin. Looking at the wreck Obi-Wan is currently in because of her younger husband she wants to rip his blonde curls out of his head and punch him until he understands exactly how much he has hurt their family. Palpatine has long since been removed and she wont leave Obi-Wan behind but it wont be easy for him to understand why she is doing this until she can confide in him again. They will get through this, she will be strong enough because she has to be and Obi-Wan WILL understand, he has to, there is no other way she can see to survive this. Her only obstacle is Anakin and unfortunately, Padmé Amidala doesn't take too nicely to obstacles in the way of what she wants. Looking out at the skyline for the millionth time, she wants her control back, she wants everything. The sun is setting as she plots and holds her husband close. 

 

 

Ahsoka is working on the vaporaters in the back of the homestead when she hears a crash. Running inside, she sees flashes of blue before she ignites her white blades, sticking them in between the two lightsabers, pushing them backwards. The children eventually shut them off as she glares at them, head moving side to side slowly. Luke gulps audibly and Leia starts to grumble under breath while looking the other way. Ahsoka places her sabers back on her belt and holds both hands out expectantly. Slowly, the twins place the respective blades of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi into her palms. Sadness rushes over her as she looks at the weapons, ones she fought in countless battles with. These children don't know the horrible acts that have been committed by these blades, especially Anakin. Horrible despite their honorable intent. They don't know what these lightsabers mean. These lightsabers are the things of legend, weapons that belonged to two of the greatest Jedi to ever live. The Negotiator and the Hero with No Fear. If only the galaxy knew that the “No Fear” part was the farthest thing from true. 

“These are not toys. You will get hurt if you use them so irresponsibly and you will hurt our home, both of which I am one hundred percent not okay with.” She has a stern look in her eyes, one that is so new to her. She is still so young, mid-twenties and has always been on the receiving end of these looks, not the one giving them. Still, she does her best Obi-Wan impression and hopes the twins take her seriously. 

“Dad said that they are ours!” Leia shouts.

“No, please! Don't take them!” Luke cries out and she looks at the two seven year olds in front of her. Sympathy for the fact that these are some of the only things they have left of their fathers now that they are both on Coruscant fills her and she makes a compromise. 

“How about, you can keep them on the shelf until we get through your beginner levels with the training sabers. Then you can use them.” The twins consider it, slightly disappointed that they cant use the real blades again for a long time. They look at each other, blue eyes meeting brown and then they turn to their Aunt.

“Deal,” Leia declares, thrusting out a hand to shake on it. Ahsoka chuckles but obliges the small girl. The small girl has Padmé’s sense for justice, Obi-Wan’s formality, and Anakin’s fire. Truly a product of the trio Ahsoka cares so much for. She takes the sabers into the twin’s rooms and sits them on the shelf, the twins watching from the doorway. They're on the highest shelf so that they can’t reach which makes them both pout a bit but they did promise Auntie Snips they wouldn't use them until they were ready. Ashoka leaves them with their toy fighters and walks out to the com unit, putting the restricted code for Bail Organa on Alderaan.

“Hello?” She hears the voice of one of her only allies left and sighs in relief. 

“Eagle, it’s me Fulcrum.” Code names were the only way to help protect their identities. Only someone who knew them personally would be able to recognize their voices. 

“Fulcrum! How are things with Project Manray?” More code. He’s asking how the twins are doing.

“Very good! I was calling for any updates?” She asks, knowing Bail will update her on “Lock” and “Key” meaning Padmé and Obi-Wan.

“Lock and Key are in position, I don't know if they're presentable, but things are running smoothly from what I can tell.” Ahsoka looks down, Bail hasn't heard anything.

“Thank you, Eagle. Fulcrum out.” She hears his response and shut the com off, going to the kitchen to make dinner. A stew is quickly sitting on the small burner as she thinks about what Bail has just informed her of. Padmé and Obi-Wan are on Coruscant, they have been captured, but beyond that he doesn't have a clue. Anxiety and fear eat at her insides before she forces herself to calm down. Fear will lead her to a place where she may not recognize herself and she's not alone. The twins can be heard playing from where she sits at the small wooden table and she know that now for the first time in a long time, she has something to live for besides herself. 

 

 

“Obi-Wan, you have to wake up. He’ll be back soon.” Padmé shakes him gently, his hair moving back and forth. It is around midday and Padmé knows Anakin will stop by for his daily assault on them. The room is spacious but their chains keep them in this area. She hasn't moved in days, she has barely eaten or slept, too fearful of what that means for her and Obi-Wan. Due to the destruction of Obi-Wan’s shields he is weakened, too distraught to fully be able to be coherent for more than a couple of hours. He needs sleep, Padmé needs to protect him. 

“Mhm, Padmé.” He says with a small grin before he rolls a bit, pressing his face further into her thigh. He is still asleep and the sight warms her hardening heart but she knows he has to get up. He has to, he cannot be asleep when Anakin gets there, it would give his former padawan full access to his unaware mind. She shakes him harder this time and he whips up, looking at her with startled eyes. 

“Padmé, love.” He greets with a smile before his surroundings settle in and it fades. He must have been having a good dream, she is sorry she had to take him from it. 

“Where were you, just now?” She wants to share his moment of happiness, to remember a time when they were helplessly in love, before everything collapsed around them. Before Anakin left and became… what he is now.

“The meadow on Naboo, the one where you and Anakin took me during our honeymoon.” He says and smiles a bit again before looking at the floor. He cant meet her eyes, maybe he knows what it is she is going to do. Maybe he figured it out long before she did, long before they even arrived on Coruscant. She takes his hand in hers and strokes a finger back and forth along his thumb. No words need to be said. They had been happy once. No matter how much they loved each other, they weren't anymore. Love isn't enough now, Padmé needs to take action. 

They sit for a bit before the room seems to darken and Anakin storms in, clearly already agitated. She wants to ask him why he even bothers but holds her tongue. She lets go of Obi-Wan’s hand gently and stands, her bones cracking at the first movement in days. Anakin’s eyes follow her movements carefully and she beckons him closer to her. He comes and wraps her in his arms. She can hear the disbelieving intake of breath from behind her when Obi-Wan sees that she isn't pushing him away. She pleads with her eyes for him not to say anything, her sadness deepening as she sees Obi-Wan shake his head and look away, tears falling. Anakin isn't facing him and she thanks the gods. 

“Padmé,” he moans her name like a starving man does when he tastes food. Her lip curls up in contempt but she hangs on, allowing him to place his head at the juncture of her neck and collar bone. 

“Ani, Oh Ani.” She allows some tears to fall so it appears she is overcome with emotion, staggering her breaths a bit. Obi-Wan is shaking, trembling with restrained anger and betrayal. She must have the power in the situation, she craves it. She places her hand in Anakin’s and allows him to undo her chains, sweeping her into his arms fully so she is no longer standing on her own two feet. She swallows a growl, anger coursing through her like her blood and she watches Obi-Wan get smaller as Anakin walks out of the room. His eyes are hardened and angry and Padmé allows herself to really cry. She only hopes Obi-Wan will understand. 

 

 

Obi-Wan does not understand, not at all. He screams and she hears him. Anakin smiles and offers her an extravagant meal, five courses with the finest of wines. Padmé has been upgraded from chained prisoner to house arrest and she supposes that that is a step in the right direction. The tailor brings her a dress and she puts it on, allowing makeup to be put on her face for the first time in seven years. The woman who was comfortable in this costume, this regal disguise must’ve died on Mustafar because she wants to claw it all off of her face and tear the dress to shreds. She plays the part, however, allowing Anakin to make her his doll of sorts. She has a plan and this is putting her on the right path to getting everything she wants. 

Left alone in the room, Obi-Wan rips his wrists raw trying to break the steel cuffs holding him back from running to Padmé. What had she been thinking, what had she done? He watches the wall and growls in anger. Alone in the room with nothing left to grasp on to the Jedi Master feels his heart breaking and he doesn't realize it but his eyes start to glow a deep, golden yellow. It will be gone by morning, he will never know. No one will ever know except the darkness which waits patiently to creep for him when he least expects it. Obi-Wan falls into a fitful sleep, willing that morning never comes and he never awakens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't be able to update much for the next couple of weeks so I got this update out fast. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!


	4. dawn light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anakin is clueless and padmé is a badass

“Get up.” Anakin says to her, brashly shoving her into awareness. She squeaks as she rolls away from the harsh touch right onto the floor. She hears him take a quick breath and suddenly she’s being lifted into strong arms. Anakin’s face is in her hair and the proximity makes her want to vomit. Last night while they were asleep she had considered killing him right there but she had to become Empress before she addressed the Vader issue. 

“I’m sorry, Darling. I didn’t mean to shove you to the floor.” He chuckles and she wants to hit him.

“Oh, it’s alright, Honey,” she drags out the sweet title as she yanks on his particularly long hair. She’s going to cut it off in his sleep and strangle him with it. As if sensing her thoughts he places her down and walks toward the viewport. Padmé sits up from where he’d dumped her and huffs out a breath, blowing the strands of long brown hair that had fallen loose out of her face. Anakin is smirking as he looks out at the stars. Weeks ago, Padmé had abandoned Obi-Wan and joined their husband in his lavish lifestyle. She had been given a new wardrobe, one more glamorous than she had ever known before, if that was even possible. Obi-Wan had been locked in the room but his chains were gone, a small gift Padmé had gotten him. Anakin holds out hope that Obi-Wan will join them but she knows he wont. He was rebuilding his shields slowly, something that angered Anakin but she was relieved. If they were strong enough she would tell him her plan and he would finally understand. For now, he glowers when they both enter, separate or alone and hurdles harsh words that hurt her far more than she ever lets on. 

Today, she is going to visit him with Anakin and she hopes for once it doesn’t end horribly. The walk down the vast corridors, the trains of their extravagant outfits dragging behind them as they go. They look regal, like they were meant to rule. Anakin at my side, she sneers mentally. She is fine with her husband maintaining the title of Emperor as long as he learns his place and stays behind her. She feels power at her fingertips and she hungrily grasps for it. She will not be out of control again, it will all be hers. 

 

 

4 months earlier:

 

Bombs explode, the entire camp brightening in flames. He's got two children, one under each arm as he rushes forward through the smoke. The blues of white falling from the sky remind him of the impending danger and so he runs, aware at some point of the woman at his heels. He wants her there, knowing she is safe is his second priority behind these children and he knows she feels the same. So they run, away from the white soldiers and the smoke and the creature in black who used to lay in the same bed as they did. Leia is screaming, her eyes burning from the smoke and Luke is trying to wiggle out of his grip. Obi-Wan tightens his grip on his children, pumping his legs as fast as they can go. The Stars have disappeared, dark clouds covering them and the closest moon of Dantooine is the only blurb in the sky left besides imperial ships. They take cover in the trees and he signals to Rex to get them as soon as possible. Soon enough, the Renegade, their ship, appears and Obi-Wan hauls both twins through the hatch before boosting Padmé and jumping in himself. Lifting off from the planet Obi-Wan notices the black rectangle sticking out of Padmé's hood. Snatching it up, Obi-Wan inspects it closely, identifying it as a datachip. The rectangle has no where to place a tracking device and so he pockets it, knowing he and Padmé will have to look at it later.

Dantooine is shrinking behind them as the Captain talks to Ahsoka over the com and Padmé is putting the children to bed. They both washed the children tonight, taking time to wash the dirt and grime from their bodies, cleaning the scrapes they endured during the attack. Leia complains of her eyes but Obi-Wan uses the force to smooth her gently, trying not to trigger any temper tantrum. He slumps down in a chair and waits for his wife, the datachip weighing heavily at his side. He can't watch it without her, knowing without seeing that it's a message from Anakin. From Vader. He knows that Vader must've given to the soldiers to place somewhere on the two of them because he hadn't been on the ground yet when they started running. This was the first time he'd gotten near them in seven years and even Obi-Wan knew they were running out of places to run now. Soon they would meet the man who used to be known as Anakin Skywalker and now served Palpatine as the right hand Darth Vader. 

Padmé sits next to him and they stare at each other, sorrow unspeakable lingering in the space between them. He takes the chip out of his pocket and holds it in the artificial light of the ship. She tilts her head, acknowledging that she knows exactly what it is. They open it, looking at the striking image of Anakin Skywalker with yellow eyes. 

“Hello, My Loves. If you are seeing this then I have been completely successful and am now Emperor. Yes, you heard me correctly. Palpatine was effective but he was slow and he was keeping me from what I want and so… he has been disposed of. Now, all of my attention will be focused on finding you and our children. On having you rule besides me. It wont be long now. Have fun defying me while you can, darlings!” His image fades and the chip starts to spark. 

 

 

They had received many more following that one for the months until their capture, knowing that it was inevitable. Now, Obi-Wan sits with his head in his hands as his spouses enter the room. His chains are gone but he is still very much a prisoner, grasping at whatever humanity remains in Anakin and what hasn’t gone completely batshit nuts in Padmé. He breathes deeply, wishing more than anything that he could escape and go back to the children. The only hope he has is that Padmé hasn’t sold them out yet. His shields are fully intact, have been for weeks, but he makes sure to project to Anakin that they are slowly healing instead of the fortified strengths they are. Obi-Wan hears them outside the door and knows he has to signal to Padmé that they must speak privately. He has to break through to her. 

“Hello, Master.” Anakin says as they enter and sit on the couch the way they do every time they come to see him.

“Anakin,” he greets, “Padmé.” As he greets her he sends three swift knocks on her thigh and nods. She seems to get what he means, receiving a short nod in the force. Anakin senses nothing. 

“Obi, Dearest, have you come to your senses yet? We just want you back in our lives!” She cries out and wishes she could hold in her shock as Obi-Wan’s eyes flash a deep gold. Anakin doesn’t seem to notice but Padmé has and now she can’t ever un-see it. Had she driven him to this through her deception? Had she ruined the man she loved so truly? They’re blue again as he stares at her as if she has lost her mind. To him, she figures, it must seem like she has. Oh Obi-Wan, she thinks, sadness threatening to take her.

“My senses,” he scoffs out, a rough chuckle in there, “what a joke, Padmé. I seem to be the only one in this room with any sense at all!” His accent harshens the words that were more than likely just spewed in exasperation. She wants to laugh at how insane their entire situation is. Anakin is crazy, she’s driving Obi-Wan to the brink of insanity, and she herself is going to become Empress. What is sense? It clearly no longer exists in their marriage. 

“That’s enough, Master.” Anakin bites out and Obi-Wan whips on him so quickly, Padmé has to blink to shake her confusion. His hand is on the place where his lightsaber used to rest and she gasps, jumping up and wrapping herself around him. She can feel him relax before stiffening again, a clear sign that he still feels very much betrayed. She hadn’t thought beyond that fact that Anakin won’t hurt him while she’s like this. The tension can diffuse. 

“Enough?! Anakin, I owe you years upon years of harsh words. I owe you worse than words and you know it! Look what you’ve done to me! You killed my family, you destroyed what I’ve fought for all my life, you forced me to raise our children while running from you, and now somehow you’ve twisted our wife and dragged her along for your ride!” Anakin and Obi-Wan glare at each other, yellow meeting blue as they fight each other with their very souls, willing one to step down first. Finally, Anakin breaks his gaze. 

“Padmé, I think that’s enough for today.” She merely nods, untangling from Obi-Wan and following Anakin out. She looks over her shoulder and winks at the ginger before quickening her steps to keep up with Anakin.

 

 

Hours later she’s sneaking back into the room having left Anakin snoring in their bed. She has to speak to Obi-wan and he clearly needs to speak with her too. The guards don’t bat an eye at her as she walks along, keeping her regal stature. As far as they know, the Emperor has given the okay on this. The hallways seem to stretch on forever between her and Obi-Wan and she resists the urge to run to the man she has missed more than anything these last few weeks. Finally, she comes to the large ornate door that holds the once great Jedi master behind it. She pins the key in and rushes forward into the surprised arms of one Obi-Wan Kenobi.

“Padmé?” He asks, shock traceable in his features. 

“Obi-Wan, oh Obi-Wan. How I’ve missed you, my love.” Her face is pressed into the crook of his neck and she breathes in deeply, savoring even the worst of his smells. 

“Padmé, what’s going on? Where’s Anakin?” He asks and watches as her face crumples in disgust and rage. 

“Sleeping in his chambers.” She says curtly. He still hasn’t caught on yet, why hasn’t he caught on yet? 

“Then why are you-“

“Because it’s a trick, Obi-Wan! Of course I’d never willingly go to that tyrant! I have a plan.” She says and watches as his eyes light with understanding.

“What sort of plan?” He asks, because honestly he needs to know and she isn’t making this easy. 

“Obi-Wan, I’m going to be Empress.” Completely serious.

“Are you fucking out of your mind!?” He shouts and she clamps a cold hand over his mouth, her eyes narrowing.

“No, I’m your wife so I don’t suggest you say things like that to me. I’m not crazy, we have to do this. The only way Luke and Leia will ever be safe is if we can control Anakin and the only way to do that is to… Is to love him.” She watches as the truth of what she’s just said sets in. He knows that she is right, he knows Anakin just as well as she does and despite what he has done, neither of them would ever have the strength to murder their husband. 

“You’re right.” He gasps out, panting heavily. She grasps his forearms and looks into his steel grey eyes with determination. 

“We have to rule the Empire, it is the only way to fix what the galaxy has become. The only way to bring back democracy. The only way to keep our children safe.” They sink to the floor together but eventually he nods once, an affirmation, an agreement. He is going to help her. As the sun rises she explains what she needs him to do while running her fingers through his dirty hair. She leaves at dawn and returns to the dragon, content for the first time in weeks that things may actually turn out her way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Padmé is manipulating her husbands to hell and back but hey, at least she's doing it for the right-ish reasons. From now on chapters will either have flashbacks or tatooine plot with ahsoka and the kids just to check up on how they're doing. Let me know what you think of this chapter!


	5. obi-wan's introspection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> its about to go down

“Obi-Wan, are you awake?” He hears the voice of his former padawan in his ear and he hums, rolling over on top of the man’s chest in his state of partial unconsciousness. The man smells so good, like home on a day where Padmé makes her family’s fruit tarts, specially done with Nabooian berries. The comfort of the familiar scent, the scent of Anakin, the scent of their temple quarters before the fall-

Obi-Wan wakes up, shooting into a sitting position. He’s in a grand room, arms are snaking around his waist and he’s panicking. The world around him swirls with the reality of having been locked and bound in a room for several weeks. He doesn’t know what month it is, what day, what time, he could’ve been in there for a year and he would have no idea! His breathing stutters and his eyes search frantically for the comfort of Padmé, for their ship and their children and-NO! He stops, shutting down, ignoring the thick, strong arms that have made a home around his midsection. Brown eyes fill his vision and he’s suddenly reminded of why he’s there and where he is. Padmé is giving her husband a look full of concern, but he can see she’s looking in fear and frustration too. He needs to do better, to lie better, if they are going to pull off tricking Anakin. 

“What’s wrong with him?” He hears Anakin ask his wife and he can feel the slight shift in the air, the quiet shrug she gives their former, well now current judging by the state of undress he’s in, lover. Part of Obi-Wan wants to rebel at the idea of sleeping with Anakin, he wants to refuse to do it plan or no plan, but he can admit that he missed the man, missed his strong arms and long curly hair. Missed his heart. Too bad that isn’t quite something he can have anymore. Obi-Wan isn’t sure it exists any longer, too wrapped in the dark side and the deaths of millions. He refuses to cringe at the thought. 

Finally, his mind allows him to unfreeze, confident that all fleeting thoughts of his babies are safely stored, safely hidden in the back of his mind where Anakin will not find them. Obi-Wan is glad he taught Padmé how to shield when the Empire rose otherwise this situation would’ve already headed south for them long ago. He forces himself to relax in the man’s arms, presenting a form of defeat as he lays back against Anakin’s chest and huffs out a sigh. 

“Sorry, I guess my mind is still recovering from the massive invasion you gave me a couple weeks ago,” Obi-Wan sharply says. He doesn’t resist when Anakin tightens his hold, just nuzzles into his chest. Yes, he’s pretending for Padmé, but that doesn’t mean he can’t throw in some comments. He wouldn’t be Obi-Wan if he didn’t test the fires at least a little bit. 

“Well, if you would just tell me where my children are I wouldn’t have to resort to that…” Anakin trails off, nipping at Obi-Wan’s neck. Padmé stands in the mirror and puts on her jewelry, smoothing out her fine red satin gown. Obi-Wan admires her in it, but he misses the Padmé that ran the rebellion with him. That wore pants and tight fitting tank tops, that always had two blasters and spare food and water for the children. He misses his life, his babies, his ship, his wife… He wishes Anakin had never fallen and he could’ve been safe and happy. But alas, wishing gets him no where and so he just slumps further into Anakin, letting the younger man play with his hair, weaving the longer strands together. 

“If we could trust you with them we would,” is their wife’s short response and she smiles, lips as red as her gown and as blood. She looks like a predator, something their husband must pick up on because he doesn’t push it, just tightens his grip on Obi-Wan and buries his face into his husband’s neck. He breathes in the thick musky scent of Obi-Wan and nearly moans. For years he missed these beautiful creatures, missed their warm smiles and inviting arms. Anakin is not a fool, he knows these two haven’t forgiven him for everything, but he’s confident that in time he can win that back and they can all be happy. 

“I would never hurt them,” he insists once again and neither of his spouses respond, instead returning to their morning as if it had never happened. As if the conversation was actually over. Too afraid to stop the smooth life they had returned to the night before when Obi-Wan had broken down and sobbed, begging to be with them again and be married and happy, Anakin says nothing. Why couldn’t they see that he just wanted them to be what they once were?

Obi-Wan’s mind screams with Anakin’s thoughts the bond they have begun to reform by proximity flaring and burning with desperation and desire. He quietly shuts it off on his end, hoping Anakin doesn’t realize he has built back enough mental power to do so. 

The day continues, Obi-Wan getting fit for a new wardrobe and being shown around the palace. The halls, the old halls of the Jedi temple, ring with old life and haunting memories. Anakin’s chambers have replaced the council room and he shudders to think of the acts they performed in there last night, wondering if Anakin got sick pleasure from the very fact of it. He walks along familiar yet strange hallways with the Emperor, passing the room of a thousand fountains and looking at it longingly. The fountains run, a gathering place for visitors and senators and any other sentient allowed in the palace. The residential wings are just offices except for their old quarters which he can see are now changed. He veers off path towards them, stopping in front of the new, large and beautifully carved doors. He looks at Anakin who watches him with guarded eyes. 

“What is this?” He asks shakily and Anakin just reaches out a black gloved hand to twist the knob, allowing Obi-Wan to enter as he stands back. He does, taking in the newness of the place. No longer is there a couch or a kitchen. In this room the far wall has been taken out and replaced with transparisteel and there’s a large desk. Off where their rooms used to be is a shrine to their old life together. Qui-Gon’s lightsaber, both of their padawan braids, holopics, and more. Obi-Wan walks over to them and picks each item up, holding them gingerly and revering them with extreme care. These were his most precious belongings in his former life. They tug on long since dead heart strings and he puts them down again, promptly spinning on his heel and leaving Anakin’s office. The Sith Lord follows, reaching out and grasping Obi-Wan’s hand. Obi-Wan knows he can yank it away, but he holds the Sith’s hand. Obi-Wan spares one last fleeting glance towards the braids before he allows Anakin to lead him away, painfully aware of the dull ache in his chest.

 

 

Smiling through obvious tears, Obi-Wan looks over the Coruscant skyline, well aware of Anakin’s eyes on him. Padmé had been given freedoms he had not, had been allowed to stray from her husbands and while she did not wish to, there was little she could do that would not either offend Anakin, or make him suspicious. So here they were; fallen Jedi, partners, husbands, two halves of a single warrior, enemies… Anakin grips Obi-Wan’s hand in his and forces him to look. To continue to look, even when the tears have blurred his vision so much he cannot see anything at all. 

“My Love, do not cry here with me. You have come home. You came back to me and to our place. I fixed it for you…” Anakin trails a finger up a tear track to the corner of Obi-Wan’s eye before he lifts the finger and places into his mouth, taking Obi-Wan’s sorrow as he has taken everything else. Obi-Wan feels rage rise in his throat and he clamps down on it, releasing into the force with precision. 

“Indeed…” His voice trails out in the wind, but Anakin hears him, smiles. Anakin wonders how long Obi-Wan will last before he shatters and truly belongs to Anakin again. Unlike Padmé, who knew to keep pats of herself hidden due to being a politician, they underestimated Anakin’s knowledge of Obi-Wan. They were one person, one human entity, and Anakin knew Obi-Wan just as well as he knew himself. Obi-Wan is playing Padmé’s game and while Anakin had been losing before, unaware of his wife’s intentions or goals, her mistake of adding Obi-Wan, a known variable for Anakin, into the mix will be a disastrous mistake. 

While Obi-Wan and Padmé have been gone, they have changed. Anakin sees it in the newer wrinkles and the sun kissed tans they sport. He sees how his wife walks with less grace when no one is looking, the natural gait she’s adapted suited more for military and hard work rather than diplomacy and politics. He sees it in the vulnerability in Obi-Wan’s teal eyes, in the way he looks at Anakin like he still has an open wound from the betrayal long-since passed. Anakin loves them, truly and wholly, but this new world is his playing field and he won’t let them take what he’s worked so long for. They have changed, he knows, just like himself. They think they are playing with their Anakin, the young fool who fell all over himself to keep them happy, but he isn’t a reality anymore. Anakin is Vader now too, he is Emperor of the galaxy, and he is not a foolish boy any longer. 

“You could have it all, My Obi-Wan, all you have to do is come home to me. Come home to me like you always have…” Through the tears, Anakin sees the spark of recognition there, sees his old Obi-Wan, sees love, but it is shattered by the time Obi-Wan wipes his newer, nicer black sleeve over them. Anakin wants to stomp his feet and curse the force itself, but he just holds Obi-Wan’s hand and looks across the city line. His Obi-Wan is in there, will return to him, he just has to pluck the right strings, just has to get him to give in the ice and hatred that thrums through him like a river. When Obi-Wan goes dark, joins him instead of his wife, she will follow. He will continue to let her make her differences in how he rules as long as she maintains his Empire, as long as they bring him his children. Obi-Wan never responds. 

 

 

Ahsoka feels the force shift around her constantly. Feels Obi-Wan teetering on the edge of light and dark, constantly bombarded with pain. She feels him slip, feels him hang on the edge of a cliff and haul himself up before being shoved over again by Anakin. She winces as she is ripped from meditation as a shock of blonde hair rushes past her followed by a shriek.

“Leia, keep your hands away from my lunch!” Ahsoka sighs, taking a deep breath before she stands and follows her young charges, the flames that keep her heart beating while her anchors sink into the dark abyss across the galaxy in the imperial center. She wonders how long she has before she has to take the kids and run from their parents, wonders how long it takes Anakin to tear them down with him.

 

 

Later on in the evening, Padmé finds Obi-Wan still out on the terrace, long since abandoned by Anakin so he could “think about their current situation.” He doesn’t ever turn to look at her, doesn’t even acknowledge she’s there. She has caused him such unbearable pain, she knows, has taken his reality and twisted it to fit an end goal he never wanted, never deserved. He wants his children, wants a farm and a reality his spouses have made impossible for him. He wants to have holidays and he wants to celebrate life with a family. When the Jedi fell he thought he could have love, thought he could have everything he had ever wanted, until they discovered it had been Anakin who had betrayed them. The loss he had faced had been great, but he had had her and their kids and a rebellion. Obi-Wan Kenobi had nothing now except two spouses who will stop at nothing to use him for their own gains. If he is to gain any semblance of power, any foothold within his own relationship, he has to take action. This is what he has decided when he finally lifts an arm and allows her to find her place beneath it. 

Obi-Wan has been clinging at the edge of his cliff for so long and he is so very tired. Perhaps it is time he creates a plan of his very own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anakin and padme take advantage of our guy too much. Its time for the negotiator to make his triumphant return.


	6. new light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> obi-wan is 100% done with his spouses

In the dark, Anakin wraps an arm around Obi-Wan’s midsection, leaning in to breathe in the musk of post sex. Obi-Wan had come alive earlier, taking his time on both lovers and tearing them apart as he went along, their pleasure being completely sated. Anakin can’t help but wonder, ponder about what caused the man who had sheltered himself in his own mind for so long to break free and finally give into the embrace of his lovers. He smiles, running a hand through gingery locks with strands of grey from age and stress. 

He marvels at the innocence of Obi-Wan. A man who has always out duty first, who has only ever committed deeds deemed unfavorable when he is certain it’s for the greater good. He is a warrior, a murderer just like Anakin and yet, because of why he does what he does he is honorable. He maintains that he is a good human being. A good human being who now lies in bed with the Emperor and his Empress, a Sith and a politician. Laughable. Fate dealt Obi-Wan Kenobi one of the harshest hands Anakin had ever seen. Too bad it could still get worse.

The floor is cold as Anakin leaves the bed, padding over to the closet where he quietly slips on his robes and shirt. Yellow eyes glow luminescent in the dark and he nearly returns when he takes a long look back at the bed, but he spins on his heel and leaves his lovers. What he is about to do will turn them against him again, but he had made a threat and the threat, if he is to be taken seriously, if he is to show Padmé that he will not be her pawn, must be carried out. Naboo would make Padmé his enemy, and it would destroy a place he himself had personal ties to. Naboo would be spared, it would play an important bargaining role with his Empress in the future, the Death Star still completely under his sole command. 

His fighter stays dormant in his private hangar bay, the yellow of the wings reminiscent of his time as a Jedi. He enters it quickly and fires up the engine as if it were second nature before pulling out and towards the atmosphere. On Coruscant, it is still the middle of the night, he will be back from his adventure before his lovers awaken hopefully, will be there to see the vulnerability in both of their eyes when they discover their husband is still Emperor, is still Darth Vader, and they are still his. 

When he arrives the Death Star is outside of the orbit of Alderaan and he is brought to the main viewport for the main event. He stands as Tarkin gives the command and the machine is activated. Yellow eyes watch and his ears listen as the machine warms up and fires, a large green beam shooting towards the surface of a planet which houses Bail Organa, close friend of Padmé and Obi-Wan, known conspiracist against the Empire. The kyber crystals used to fuel it scream in the force, at the misuse of them for this horrific machine. It gives Vader sick pleasure to know that the very same green used to mean peace for a Jedi. The very green of the lightsaber wielded by Master Yoda himself. Now, Vader was unstoppable, for no one, not a rebellion and certainly not his wife could stand against his machine. 

Alderaan screams. It screams so loud, it knocks all force sensitives in the galaxy into awareness, the very terror and pain too much. Across the galaxy, on a sandy planet in the Outer Rim, two children scream at the pain and loss. An older child, one tasked with watching the others falls to her knees and clutches them to her sides, the three of them crying for the force and for the galaxy. On Coruscant, Obi-Wan shoots out of slumber, a scream so violent it cracks the windows erupting out of him. Through his parental bonds he feels his children’s anguish. Through the force itself he hears millions of voices cry out in terror before being completely silenced. Padmé holds him, asks him whats wrong, but Obi-Wan can’t answer, just clutches his head and rocks slightly. Padmé gasps when she sees his eyes blink yellow and then overflow with tears, keeping him wrapped in her arms. It takes her a couple more minutes to realize Anakin is missing. 

Anakin watches it explode completely before he returns to his fighter, a smirk firmly in place on his face. Anakin 1, Padmé 0. This was his Empire to run and he would be damned if he let his wife who had run from him and her destiny for seven years take control of what he had worked so hard for. There was only one thing missing: his children. They would be his soon enough, he was sure. After all, if one spouse would not be driven by loss, the other was certain to be.

 

 

Padmé Amidala was on a war path. Her husband had just declared war. On her. She’s wearing her finest gown, well aware that her husband is ten minutes from touch down on planet. Guards part for her, well aware that she is the Empress. Quickly, with precision, she enters the media wing of the Senate Rotunda and demands to make an announcement. They part for her and watch in awe as she takes the podium usually reserved for the Emperor himself. Cameras focus on her as she gives her best smile and addresses the public for the first time. 

“Citizens of the First Galactic Empire, my name is Padmé Amidala and I am your Empress! My husband and I have been working to rule your government fairly and justly, and we will continue to do so…” She feels Anakin when he storms into the building. Feels his eyes on her when he enters a random Senator’s pod, feeling a sense of giddiness well in her when she sees it is the very one that used to belong to her all those years ago. His yellow eyes find hers and narrow, the air chilling. The media, however, is stationed directly in front of him and has not discovered his presence, broadcasting her message live to the rest of the galaxy. She looks him in the eyes and smiles before continuing. 

“Alderaan had been suspected of criminal activity and conspiracy against the Empire, so my husband felt the need to eradicate it. It is my promise that this will not be protocol, that I will personally head the campaign to root out all rebel factions and work out our differences with diplomacy and great care! Today is a new beginning for us, let us rejoice!” Later, when the cameras have turned off, she is lifted from her spot on the ground and levitated to her husband, who keeps her still with the force. Her act drops then, the icy anger slipping into her features. Her husband is angry, but he allows a not-quite smile, a cruel twist of his lips, to mar his face. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” He asks her and she smiles at him, her teeth glinting dangerously under the red lipstick.

“I’m ruling your Empire by your side, Darling. Just like you’ve always wanted.” His smile drops then and they glare at each other, two extremely powerful entities vying for power over the other. Finally, Anakin lifts his hand slightly and brings her to his side, looping his fingers through hers and leading her from the room hand in hand. People snap holopics of them and Padmé smiles for each one, determined to make it look like she is confident in her abilities to keep her promise. Padmé had just turned the public’s favor in her direction, had put herself in position to gain empathy from her citizens. They would look to her as the other option, the shining light in the darkness of her husband. It was a role she could play extremely well, one she had been ready for since she had returned to him those months ago. She keeps smiling. 

 

 

Obi-Wan gets up after Padmé leaves, knowing his spouses were about to take drastic steps to control the other. He walks to Anakin’s closet and grabs a black cloak, throwing it on over his black standard issue clothing. He leaves the room, cloaked in darkness, yellow eyes shining out of it. The people he passes must assume he’s Anakin, must assume no one else would have power and access like this. He has an hour before his spouses return, an hour to get this done and be back in the bed where they will continue to think nothing of him. His lip lifts in contempt when a guard attempts to stop him, catching sight of his reddish hair and beard so different from Anakin’s blonde curls. 

His hand shoots out, fingers curling as the guard chokes, an amused chuckle sounds from under the hood as he flings the guard at the wall, ignoring the sharp snap of his arm. He leans down, allowing the man to look into his face before he leans into the man’s ear.

“I was never here…” The gold glints in his eyes as he combs the man’s mind, taking the memory of him ever being there and replacing them with the image of a random worker making his way to his office.

“You were never here… Master,” the man responds to Obi-Wan’s grinning face. He makes his way to Anakin’s office, to their old chambers, where he knows he can com without being monitored. He mindtricks the guards there, not wanting to give them anymore indication of his presence being altered any further. They have been told he was never here and so that is what they shall believe. 

Anakin’s computer holds information the rebellion would kill for and Obi-Wan plans to leak what suits him in due time, but for now he finds the Death Star plans and copies them on a Holodrive, tapping his fingertips along the smooth wood surface of the Emperor’s desk. The shrine of his old life taunts him in the corner and he knows he has to ignore it. The only way he can keep his children safe is if he wins the game neither of his partners knows he’s playing with them yet. 

When the drive is ready, he puts the whole file under the name: Protocol24050, knowing it will look normal incase anyone sees it, although he doubts the Emperor allows himself to be monitored. He sends the file to the com across the room and moves across the room to it after deleting all of the user history from his visit and emptying the trash. Anakin will never know he was ever there. He opens the com and types in Ahsoka’s frequency before typing out a message:

 

Fulcrum,

Situation turbulent, maintain status. Gift attached for little Hera when she turns 18. The seasons are changing, the time for change is such a celebratory state. Keep updated. Sorry for your loss. 

Key

 

He sends the file with the message, alerting Ahsoka that the time to move has come. He won’t allow Padmé or Anakin to use their children as pawns in this game of theirs. The file is for the rebellion to use in the upcoming years. It is implied that she must lay low, build up their forces before they attempt any strike on the Empire. They have the plans to work around now, in any state and he knows he has had a victory far greater than either of his spouses. He leaves the room, confident in his deception and heads back for his chambers, calming himself to a point where he knows the blue has returned to his eyes. He’s just settled into bed when he feels the presences of his partners enter the palace again. 

 

 

Ahsoka has just managed to stop the children’s tears and get them to sleep when the com arrives on her machine. She looks at it dubiously, afraid of what exactly could’ve possibly been sent and when she sees it she nearly bursts into tears. Obi-Wan had contacted her, had put his safety at risk to make sure she and the kids were safe. That’s the man she loves as her father, the one she believes so much in. Any doubt she had been feeling disappears and she steels herself at the reality that no matter what, no matter how far he falls, Obi-Wan will always protect them first because that’s who he is and it’s what he does. Protect the ones he loves. She readies the ship she’s hidden for Yavin 4. 

“Come on, Kiddos, we have a new planet to go and see!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please comment and let me know what you think!


	7. flickering light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> obi-wan makes a new friend

The galaxy adjusts to the loss of Alderaan and the gain of a new Empress as it does with all changes. As the months pass, Padmé and Anakin fight for dominance and control over the other. They create laws and destroy planets, the threat of the Death Star and their children hanging heavily over bot of their heads. Obi-Wan remains an object of the shadows, allowing his spouses to run themselves to the bone as he makes new friends within in the government. He stays by each of their sides, lending them his ear and allowing them to take their frustrations out on him as he continuously leaks Ahsoka the information he feels she should know. 

Although they maintain steady contact, he has no idea where the young woman has brought herself and his other children. It is for the better, he knows, he’s quite good at the game he’s playing and he wishes to keep his assets safe. If Anakin and Padmé find out he’s deceived them and hurt him in anyway Ahsoka will run as she should. Obi-Wan isn’t so certain his power hungry spouses should have any say in how his children are raised. 

The twins are turning nine on the day Padmé collapses into his side. She weeps and weeps, curling into his chest because of her grief. Obi-Wan holds her, ignoring the guilt he feels. He has spoken to his children, briefly but still more than the two biological parents. 

“Don’t worry, Padmé, you’ll overcome Anakin’s defenses soon and they’ll be returned to you,” he promises her again even though he knows that neither Padmé or Anakin will win the game the three have partaken in. Obi-Wan will rule and they will yield as he brings back the former glory of government as he’s done on so many planets prior. 

“Obi-Wan, I miss them so much. This work is so tiring, it feels every step I take ahead Anakin blocks with one of his own. The refugee help he sent troops disguised as rebels in to destroy. Every time I try to get something done he beats me down!” Ah. The refugee camp he’d informed the rebels of to intercept well needed supplies. He knew his wife would just send more after they were stolen, which she had uninterrupted, but he could understand her annoyance if she thought it had been Anakin that sabotaged it. 

“The refugees received their help, Darling, and you’ve stopped plenty of his plans as well. The bill he tried to pass to expand military spending, for example,” he says and she takes the bait, her victorious rant distracting her from the loss of their children and the anger towards their husband. 

Anakin seeks his distraction in a much more physical form than their wife. There are times when Anakin tackles Obi-Wan randomly, attacking him with kisses and bruising hands that fumble for control and obedience from his partner. His teeth bite harshly when he gets like that, leaving marks all up the neck and jaw of his husband, satisfying some primal part of him that seeks possession. Obi-Wan feels it too, the dark side welling in him and demanding he take whats his and use it, bend his lovers to finally do his bidding, but instead he smiles languidly and allows the savagery of his husband. Anakin is too afraid to do this to Padmé, to fuck her as brutally as he does Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan wants to laugh at him for it. Padmé needs rough sex like air after a long day in the senate, something Obi-Wan knows too well. 

On the day the twins turn nine, Anakin pulls him into an alcove of the corridor he had previously been walking in and rips at his clothing violently. 

“Hello, Darling, how are you today?” He questions his husband sarcastically, amused by the growl he receives in response.

“Don’t play dumb, Obi-Wan, you know what today is as much as I do,” Anakin bites as he finally removes the belt he’d been fiddling with angrily on Obi-Wan’s waist. So they’re doing this in the hallway again. Obi-Wan rolls his eyes above Anakin’s line of sight. So uncivilized. He lets Anakin fuck him against the wall, a hand clamping down on his lover’s mouth when he becomes too loud. Yellow eyes blaze as they look at each other, Anakin having convinced himself long ago that they’re only a product of Obi-Wan’s passion during sex. Obi-Wan wonders if Padmé knows that he has fallen, if she blames Anakin for that too, as he comes down from his high, refastening his belt and then consoling a distressed Anakin as he cries and begs him to let him see his children. Obi-Wan just smiles kindly at him, pleased with the submission his husband is showing him. 

“You’ll see them when you give us what we want,” he promises and watches Anakin falter because he has no idea what exactly his husband wants. Obi-Wan walks away after shushing him softly, hips swaying from side to side as he lets giddiness overwhelm him only for a brief moment. The Emperor watches him walk away, wondering if Obi-Wan just revealed something too important to ignore. 

 

 

Ahsoka pulls Luke and Leia out of the tree, the nine year olds giggling as she places one on each shoulder and brings them back inside their small home. Yavin 4 is beautiful and has a much more lush environment than Tatooine. The twins have lost some of their tans here, no longer being berated by the twin suns of the hot desert. Luke and Leia miss their parents, sad that while they got to speak to their Dad only briefly, they haven’t seen their mother since she left them almost a year ago now. They see the broadcasts of her on the holonet, sees her stand next to a man they don’t recognize, but Ahsoka finally reveals is their Papa, Anakin Skywalker. After that, the twins beg to see the holonet more often, but Ahsoka says no, that it’s too dangerous. 

She worries endlessly about Obi-Wan feeling so many of his shifts as he falls farther and farther. He’s grasping at straws to maintain who he was and yet, even as she feels him become a dark side user, she still trusts him. Obi-Wan is not Anakin and the only reason he has become this is because he was given no option, he had to keep his family safe. 

“Auntie Snips?” She hears her name being called and looks up, seeing Leia with an unusually serious face.

“Yes, Leia?” Ahsoka reaches out and instinctively brings the girl under her arm, comforting her.

“Will we ever see Mom and Dad again? Will we ever meet our Papa?” Leia has a lost expression that nearly breaks Ahsoka’s composure. She shushes the girl and runs her fingers through her hair. Ahsoka thinks of those three across the galaxy as her parents, recognizes these twins as her siblings and her heart breaks at the state her family is in. Anakin and Padmé are clearly rivals, tearing each other down in subtle moves and strikes, while Ahsoka knows Obi-Wan deceives them both and maintains the unknown upper hand. Luke eventually joins them, the three huddling under the tree on their property provided by Mon Mothma. They drift off to sleep as the sun sets, the three of them holding each other close.

 

 

Obi-Wan smiles as he looks around the room at the high profile citizens invited to the Empire Day ball thrown by his spouses. His hair is styled and freshly dyed to make himself appear more inviting and youthful to the vain people in the room. His hair is red, a bright color he hasn’t sported since his youth and his suit is black, white shirt underneath peaking through classily. He looks nice and he can feel the eyes of his spouses following him as he flirts and socializes, completely unhindered. General Kenobi has been given a military position of honor, but he is not married as far as the public knows. Men and women of all ages and species attach themselves to him and fight for his attention. 

Anakin and Padmé stand in the place of honor where they can freely view the room before them, where they can allow the jealousy at the attention their husband is getting boil. Obi-Wan will feel the repercussions of his actions later that night, he’s sure, when they team up against him briefly in their passion. Obi-Wan’s smile grows as he meets the young senator from Pantora, the replacement for Senator Chuchi after she retired early, too upset with the turn of galactic politics. The young woman is polite and she has a pretty face, he takes her to dance with him. She is a very good dancer, he finds, and smiles brilliantly, charming her thoroughly before he leaves her side, taking a moment to go and stand besides his spouses who smile at him with thinly concealed anger and jealousy. He greets them both with a kiss on the cheek as is tradition. 

“You’re going to get it for that later…” His wife whispers when he kisses her cheek, a smug smile overtaking him as he turns to his husband. 

“Don’t think you’ll get away with that, Dear One, no one touches what’s ours,” Anakin hisses and Obi-Wan winks at him before he takes his leave, walking out into the crowd again. The Senator of Alderaan before its destruction had been Organa but he’d elected an assistant to be groomed to take his place. The girl is large, a height that far exceeds his own and a shape that has lots of curves. Obi-Wan watches her, intrigued by the way she stands out yet remains humble. The dark blue of her dress fits her nicely and contrasts with the bright purple shade on her lips. He approaches out of sheer curiosity, knowing his spouses will think nothing of it, both far too vain themselves. He places a hand on the crook of her elbow. 

“Well, hello there,” he greets and the girl turns to him, recognition sparking as she graces him with a bright, genuine smile. She reminds him of a senator he once knew as a Jedi: strong, intelligent, fierce, a fire lit in her soul that demands justice and peace, and a face of the most unconventional beauty. Her dark hair and eyes contrast so much with those of the deceased Satine Kryze and yet she reminds him of her so utterly it takes his breath away. 

“General Kenobi, it is a pleasure to meet you,” she kisses his cheek lightly as to avoid getting any lipstick on him. Kenobi knows he has met someone he must have on his side and so instead of teasing his spouses any longer he befriends the girl who soared to fame, representing her planet that had since been demolished. 

“You as well, Senator Kosel, you have earned yourself quite the reputation. Tell me, how are you finding the ways of the Empire?” The young woman who he knows to be about nineteen levels him with a stern look and so he smiles, encouraging her to be honest. 

“Serena, please, General. In all honesty, Sir, I find it to be tyrannical. I’m a firm supporter of liberal rights and democracy myself,” she responds boldly. She finds that since her home and her family is gone she doesn’t have much else to lose. Kenobi smiles again, he likes this one. 

“Then I know I find myself in good company,” he responds and the girl smiles again as Obi-Wan leads her to the bar. He spends the rest of the night making her his new best friend and already is putting a plan in place for her to be a main advisor of his new government once he completes the overthrow. With senators, the rebellion, and his spouses on his side he’s confident he can find system that makes everyone happy.

At the end of the night he walks her to her speeder and kisses her cheek once again. The girl leans in to his ear afterwards,

“Tell your husband and wife I said hello,” she whispers and Obi-Wan looks up in surprise as she enters the speeder and it takes off towards her apartment across the city. He walks down the long corridors thinking of the potential his new ally has before he is ripped into his bedroom by four hands, yanking him over the threshold and tossing him on the bed before the door slams shut. He doesn’t get any sleep for a long time after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah! i hope my chapter updates will continue to be consistent but i have school starting again tuesday so they might be a bit slower. enjoy the update and let me know what you think!


	8. bright light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> obi-wan and his husband and wife are all a mess, he's just neater about it then they are

Anakin sits alone in his office, looking out at the skyline of Coruscant. The Imperial Palace looms over the city, giving him an amazing view of his empire. He smiles, taking in the sights and sounds of everything he has worked for. Being the Emperor of the galaxy is exhausting, but it’s things like this that make him remember his love for power and dominance. Padmé is a formidable opponent, striking against him in the senate and the public with swift blows, but the force speaks of another opponent, one Anakin can either give way to and maintain power or lose it all together. The thought is worrisome, striking an insecurity deep in his chest. He had been the one to strike Palpatine down, so wasn’t the power rightfully his? 

The answer, according to the force, is no. He had merely paved the way for the rightful ruler, the man Anakin was destined to always serve. His eternal master. If only Anakin knew what the fuck that meant. Sighing, he spins around in his chair, determined to figure this out. He had left Obi-Wan in bed alone this morning, Padmé having been long since departed from the sheets. Emperor, Empress, and their prized General, the dream Anakin had always longed to see in reality. It strikes a chord within him but the pitch is off, falling flat against the plans of the force. Dammit! Anakin stands briskly, walking over to the wall and leaning his forehead against it. His breaths are deep and yet shallow, he feels like there just isn’t enough air flowing into his lungs. Everything he has worked for is for nothing, is going against what he has fought alongside for so long. Someone has changed the course of action without Anakin’s knowledge or permission.

There’s rage in him, but also confusion. He doesn’t know where his husband is, but he suddenly feels the urge to be by his side, to kneel and beg for Obi-Wan’s wisdom. He was always so much better at reading the force than Anakin himself was. The urge is there, it’s powerful, but Anakin refuses to give into it. His husband is but a shadow of the man he used to be, hiding and disappearing during the day. He does his duty as general well, the best Anakin has ever had serve him in the Empire not that it’s surprising. He does his duty and then he disappears for hours on end, becoming a shadow and escaping Anakin until night falls over the city. 

It’s after noon on Coruscant and Anakin knows that if he were to look for Obi-Wan the chances of finding him were slim to none. Obi-Wan had become a shadow like Anakin himself and perhaps that is what worries him so much. Obi-Wan and Anakin had always been two halves of a whole, two parts of the same person and in this they had always found their paths aligning. Anakin should have taken notice to Obi-Wan’s fall before now, should have recognized it for what it was instead of ignoring it. Obi-Wan had become tainted and dark and it was Anakin’s fault. He should feel joy at this, at having the people he loves in the dark with him, but this revelation hurts him more than he thought it would. 

Obi-Wan was always the sunlight to his thunderstorm, was the peace and serenity to his anger and the man still was all of that. He was the last thing Anakin ever wanted to hurt, the man who had always but himself second to Anakin and what he needed. Anakin cares so much for him and now, it is consuming parts of him. The dark has told him he has an eternal master, one that will forever lead him to victory and as much as he wishes to find this elusive master, he fears in doing so he will hurt his original master.

Padmé is so complicated, takes the things Anakin has created and destroys them with her bare hands, making things different. The way she wants them to be. It angers and challenges him in a way he needs, had missed with her gone, but it angers him all the same. It has made their relationship rocky, even if they all retire to the same bed at night. He knows Padmé would hurt him to achieve her goals, he knows he may just do the same to her… But he also knows that he can’t do it to Obi-Wan, not after all the man has sacrificed for both of them, for their marriage as a whole. He refuses to hurt Obi-Wan and so he will ignore the force and his “Eternal Master” in favor of the one he has always had by his side. He will maintain his Empire for him. The force laughs as he reaches his conclusion and Anakin sighs, going back to sitting at his desk and wondering if he should try to find his husband for some lazy afternoon quality time. 

 

 

Padmé observes her husbands in the quiet time that occurs right before dawn. She has set a small buzzer to awaken her then because she knows she must arise before Anakin if she is to truly undermine him in the coming day. It’s as she watches them sleep, arms and legs intertwining together, that she realizes something she may of always known, but had ignored for so long. As Padmé strove forward for the light in response to Anakin striving for the dark, she had never once really considered Obi-Wan’s allegiance. So many times she had seen Anakin almost snap on her in his anger, only to look at Obi-Wan and calm himself considerably. She had assumed Obi-Wan would ally with her as he had said he would at the start of her plan, but more and more she was realizing how little she saw of him. Was he always with Anakin or was he somewhere else? And could she take the day to figure it out? No, she knows if she leaves the senate alone for even ten minutes, Anakin will sweep in for the advantage. So, Padmé does the only thing she can think of and in true politician form, decides to send spies out after her husbands for the day. It is not a decision made in haste, but she must know who is truly on her side. Standing, she quickly dresses and leaves for her day, not wanting to see either of her husbands awake, afraid of what the guilt in her might reveal. 

 

The spy for Anakin reveals almost nothing to her at all. Anakin does not leave his office at any point, according to the young spy, only making a commotion once the entire afternoon. She wonders what the man might be up to in there, but knows she will not find out through espionage. Anakin is a secret she must give in to figure out, that is his way, and she refuses to do so. She is without the force, but even she can feel a great change on the horizon, fear and anticipation curling roughly in her gut. Anakin is still the man she loves deep down, she knows this, has seen enough of him to find hope in the pitch black of his heart and their situation, but she can’t trust him yet. Maybe she never will be able to again, but she sincerely hopes that isn’t the case. She still loves him, as idiotic and repulsive as the thought is. She still loves Anakin Skywalker with her entire being, the way she loves Obi-Wan Kenobi, but she knows she loves them both less than she loves her children, the strength of motherhood having become the core of her heart. 

The spy for Obi-Wan though, was a different story. She was truly stunned when the young woman came back to report that her husband had disappeared into thin air. He hadn’t gone to Anakin, but he hadn’t stayed dormant either. The young woman describes her morning in the military wing, following General Kenobi around in secret as he performed all of his duties as head of the military under Anakin. Come 12:30 standard however, she had followed him around a bend only to find the man gone. This worried Padmé because if Obi-Wan had disappeared so quickly, he knew he was being followed. The selfish part of her hopes he thinks it was Anakin who sent the spy, but even she knows Anakin wasn’t sly enough to even try it. The younger man was brash enough that if he had suspicions, he just blurted them into their faces. No, the espionage was all Padmé and Obi-Wan would know that straight away. Fear settles in the pit of her stomach as she looks over the skyline, afraid she just woke a larger beast than she’s capable of fighting.

 

 

Obi-Wan sits at Senator Kosel’s desk in the rotunda, anger seeping out of every single one of his pores. It hadn’t taken a genius to discover that his new friend was in the Rebel Alliance, a feat he was more than impressed and happy with. So here he was, anger pouring out of him at his wife for the dishonesty and distrust. Honestly, a spy? What did she take him for? He isn’t Anakin, of course he knew he was being tailed, anyone with any ounce of observational skills would have realized in less than an hour. Senator Kosel levels him with a concerned yet unimpressed look, one eyebrow raised above the other. It endears him, bringing a faint touch of a smile to his lips. Over the last couple of months, they have become strong allies, perhaps even good friends, the girl having all the passion and fire of Anakin while also being considerate and caring like Padmé. She wasn’t a replacement for his spouses, but he appreciates her company all the more in their absence. 

“What exactly are you planning, Obi-Wan?” The girl finally asks and ah, that is what he had originally come here for. He takes a swig out of the glass in his hand before continuing. The alcohol burns. 

“I want to return the Republic,” he states simply, enjoying the look that overcomes his friend’s face. Its shock and then apprehension and he knows she’s concerned he will expose her to his spouses. She need not worry, the distrust is shared between the three of them. 

“And you believe I can help you with this?” She asks, clearly placing her poker face on, but still giving him the skeptical look he is used to when it comes to her. 

“As you may not know, my wife and I used to help lead the alliance. I was close friends with Bail. Even if my spouses have resorted to this, my allegiance has always been to the Republic, to democracy. As a Jedi, I must do my duty, even if it goes against my husband and wife,” he nods to her, before he knocks back the rest of his drink and places the glass on the side table to be refilled by the server droid in a few minutes. Serena watches with calculative eyes before nodding to him in return. 

“That’s all well and good, General, but what does that have to do with me?” Senator Kosel is a good politician he knows, of course she wouldn’t reveal her position so easily. He has to have proof that he is truly on her side in all of this. He racks his brain for a way when it suddenly clicks. Ahsoka had spent lots of time with Bail when she wasn’t with he and Padmé, helping with the twins. 

“Agent Fulcrum is Ahsoka Tano, and she is currently dispatched on a secret mission that involves two young children. My young children.” Shock fills her face again before she grins, mischief alive in her young hazel eyes. 

“Okay, now we’re talking, Kenobi, how can I help?” She waves the droid in as it passes by and it fills their glasses with more whiskey. Obi-Wan sips his lightly as Serena thanks the droid and moves to shut the door and lock it. Before, the conversation had been light, but now… Now things were serious and they were planning treason against the Empire, against his husband and wife. 

“I need the full support of the Rebel Alliance behind me. I’m assuming you took Organa’s spot in the hierarchy, you being trained for this and everything,” he says with another light sip. The grin is youthful and excited on the young woman’s face and he wonders how she met Organa in the first place. Had she been an alliance runt all along and just got lucky he saw potential in her? Had she wanted to be a soldier and instead been pushed along the path of espionage and diplomacy? He didn’t know and he wouldn’t ask. Serena is a good soldier all alone in the rotunda, doing her best to fight the good fight day in and day out. It was why Obi-Wan admired and trusted her so much. 

“I will convince them to stand behind you, Obi-Wan, you will have the Rebel Alliance and all of it’s supporters standing behind you when the time comes,” she pauses, wiping away little emotional tears from the corners of her eyes before continuing, “I will stand behind you, Master Kenobi.” The title means so much to him, he almost feels tears similar to hers prick his eyes, but he forces them down. He is still fighting a war, but he knows he has gotten an ally and a friend out of it.

Padmé may send spies and Anakin may try to forcefully fuck the answer to both of their question from him, but they will not know until he is ready for them to. Obi-Wan’s allegiance is to himself and to whats right, that’s all that matters in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry the uptake took so long, my laptop went out for repairs and I also have another fic I've been working on. It's called Stranger Things Have Happened, and its a role reversal AU where Obi-Wan is the padawan and Ahsoka is the grand master. check it out if you have any interest and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!


	9. diminishing light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the fall of an empire... or is it?

More months pass and Obi-Wan is becoming sick and tired of not being with his children and he misses the three of them more than he could’ve ever imagined. Its like there’s this gaping hole in his heart where they should be, warming him, keeping him from the full clutches of the dark side. Despite knowing he has done what he needed to, fallen just enough to placate Anakin and justify necessary evil in Padmé’s eyes, he can’t help but feel like he is wasting his life. Sometimes, when everything becomes too much, he meditates and tries to connect to his fellow Jedi in the force. He apologizes, nearly begs for forgiveness, but the sad and painful truth is that there is no one to listen to his cries, all Jedi dying long ago. They had died, Anakin had betrayed, Padmé had tried to deceive, and the twins and Ahsoka were across the galaxy, leaving him alone in his own perpetual purgatory. The twins are set to turn ten soon, Obi-Wan having been stuck in this hell for almost three years. Serena has been helpful, bringing him the full support of the rebel alliance as well as swaying all of her allied senators to his side rather than Padmé’s, easing the pain of being alone. 

Obi-Wan rests his forehead against the transparisteel and knows that the time has come. He can no longer allow the galaxy to suffer because he is too weak to take down his spouses, too afraid to lose them. Parts of his heart split inside of his chest and he allows himself this moment to truly grieve his losses. 

There was a time when he thought nothing would come between the three of them, the love he had for both of them too strong to ever leave him. He had been right about that at least. Even now, as he plots against them and their empire, he loves them more than almost anything else. Loves them enough that he would die for them… But relationships do not flourish without trust and they are leaving him no room for that. Force, Padmé had sent spies after him and Anakin had tried to manipulate his mind on more than one occasion, usually earning himself a rough punch to the cheek. They do not trust him anymore and he does not trust them. The tears fall against the glass, trailing down towards the floor like rain drops. 

The guilt at deceiving them is heavy, even as he knows he is doing the right thing in the end. Even if Padmé and Anakin must die to bring back the Republic, he will do it, he cannot allow the ones he loves to destroy the galaxy any longer. The Death Star is a terror machine, one Obi-Wan will have destroyed first thing. He had handed over the plans long ago, but the rebels had not succeeded in its defeat. That is fine, he will destroy it himself, having studied the plans far longer than any one sentient should, he is fairly confident in his ability to detonate it. He will end them if necessary, even if it means he will likely destroy himself in the process, because the last thing he can gift the order he loved and served is democracy. He will bring back democracy if it is the last thing he ever does. He only hopes he gets to see his children again before he dies, however unlikely it is. 

He lifts his head off the glass, ignoring the tear track evidence of his presence and walks over to the com. This will all be over soon anyway. 

 

Fulcrum, 

Situation turbulent, reinforcements needed now at Delta Standard. See you soon, old friend.

Key

 

 

Obi-Wan steps away and deletes his history before he exits Anakin’s office the same way he always does, a billow of black robes and yellow eyes, hoping to give off just enough of Anakin that no one questions it. They don’t, as usual, and Obi-Wan makes his way towards the hangar bay at the other end of the palace. He never went into the military headquarters this morning and he knows he only has about an hour before someone alerts his spouses to his absence and they inquire his location. He hops into an old star fighter, one that likely hasn’t been touched since Order 66, and pilots it out of the hangar, ignoring the questions of the guard. 

“General, where are you going? General?” He doesn’t respond, faintly hearing the head of the guard turn to his subordinate and say,

“Alert the Emperor! Something isn’t right here…” Obi-Wan smiles and allows himself to jet into hyperspace to where he will finally rejoin the rebellion in one last great final showdown. One lone red Jedi star fighter exits the atmosphere as Anakin Skywalker arrives at the transparisteel of his office. He sees it fly up and away and curses, knowing exactly who is piloting it, exactly who it rightfully belongs to. He notices the tear streaks down the surface and realizes that something really isn’t right. With a billow of black robes and yellow eyes, he exits his office. He needs to find Padmé. 

 

 

In the depths of space, a pair of Jedi meet, the force lightening all the more because of it. 

 

 

He finds her at the Rotunda and she looks at him in concern. 

“Anakin, are you alright?” She asks, her hand coming up to rest on his cheek and he presses into it a bit like he used to, confusion and fear streaking his force signature.

“Obi-Wan took off, he took his old fighter from the war, Padmé… I think he’s gone,” Anakin says and then is suddenly knocked off of his feet, his hands pressed over his ears. This time, he hadn’t prepared himself for the loss of life in the force and he can admit its jarring. Millions of voices cry out and are suddenly silenced, Anakin cradling himself on the floor a bit. Padmé leans down over him, wrapping an arm around his shaking shoulders. 

“Padmé,” he starts shakily, “Padmé… Obi-Wan… I think Obi-Wan just destroyed the Death Star,” he finally pushes the words out and her head whips up. She turns to the guards and orders them,

“Get an order out on General Kenobi! We want him apprehended and alive!”

 

 

“Let’s get em, Snips!” Obi-Wan laughs as an X-Wing flies next to him. They soar towards the metal deathtrap together, father and daughter, master and apprentice, friends. They are a team and a damn good one. They alone soar through space to destroy Anakin’s toy and they are all that is needed. The rebellion is gathering it’s troops for the attack on Coruscant and Obi-Wan and Ahsoka are going to destroy the Death Star.

“Obi-Wan, there is truly no one else I’d rather be saving the galaxy with,” the girl says and Obi-Wan smiles to himself. He had missed her so much these last couple of years. They reach the Death Star surface just as he responds,

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Ahsoka.” They race towards the reactor, ready to do their duty and rescue the galaxy from tyranny. Again. 

 

 

Padmé and Anakin stand in the hangar, a legion of troopers behind them as the star fighter and X-Wing shoot in, skidding across the floor. Two figures leap out of the ships and stand in battle ready position. Ahead of them, in front of their very eyes, stand Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano, their Jedi blades next to them at the ready. 

“Snips?” Anakin gasps out, taking a step forward, but Padmé places a hand on his shoulder pulling him back. 

“General Kenobi, what is the meaning behind the obvious treason you’ve committed?” Her voice is curt and cold, unfamiliar to his ears, but he knew this is what was going to happen.

“Dismiss your troops, Your Highness, you don’t need them and I have a feeling they’ll be needed elsewhere,” Obi-Wan responds, voice calm and cool. Ahsoka looks at Anakin and Padmé with sad eyes, but she stays where she is. She’s a grown up and she knows whose side she’s on. In the sky above, the Rebel Alliance descends on Coruscant, fleets flying fast dropping mini bombs down in important areas. They pull towards the palace, but only slightly, waiting for notice from Master Kenobi to strike. Anakin looks at the sky in anger, yellow eyes fixing on his husband as he orders,

“Leave us, spread out around the city and get some fripping TIEs in the air before I do something I regret.” The troops leave quickly, working to do the Emperor’s orders. 

“Obi-Wan… What are you doing?” Padmé finally asks, afraid to step any closer to their blades. Suddenly, Anakin’s is extended as well, red plasma igniting at his side. 

“I’m doing what is right Padmé, I’m doing what you should’ve done long ago. I’m restoring democracy.” His spouses have anger and sadness in their eyes, but that doesn’t deter him. 

“We were a team, we were fixing the galaxy!” She’s pleading with him now, not wanting to hurt him in any way. Her daughter stands next to him, raising her blade at two of her parents, fire in her eyes. Time seems to slow, looking at the two obvious Jedi before her. They are the good guys, they are doing what is right, just as they both always do. Shame fills her as she realizes her mistake, what she has been doing this whole time. Obi-Wan is right, in her quest to undermine Anakin she had forgotten the real goal of taking power in the first place. Slowly, she walks over to Obi-Wan, placing her hands around the hilt of his lightsaber with his. Anakin hisses behind her, but she casts him a look to silence him. 

“My Love, I do not pretend to have done no wrong to both you and the galaxy. I am sorry I lost my way for so long,” she finishes as she thumbs off the ignition, throwing herself into his arms. He pauses before hugging her in return, happy as can be to have her returned to his side. He places a kiss to her temple before moving her behind him. The atmosphere is alive with battle, rebels and storm troopers alike lighting the horizon with blaster bolts. 

Anakin growls lowly in the back of his throat, beginning to walk towards them.

“You will not take her from me! You will not leave me!” Anakin’s steps are slow and measured, so unlike the ones he took in his youth. Obi-Wan feels fear for a moment, afraid that he will not be able to return him to the light, to his old self. 

“Anakin, I love you! I do not want to hurt you, but it is time! I have to fix what you have done!” Obi-Wan stands his ground, sending a prod along his bond with Ahsoka to make sure she protects Padmé. 

“You will not take everything I have worked so hard for! I will not let you!” TIEs explode left and right behind them and Obi-Wan levels him with his Master Kenobi look, one Anakin has never seen directed at him, one he wasn’t even sure the man still possessed.

“Anakin, the choice is very simple. Darth Vader dies or I do,” he declares, pressing the hilt of his very own lightsaber against his chest. The force cries out at this, Anakin’s eyes going wide in frenzied fear. He rushes a step, but Obi-Wan just steps backwards as he does. Anakin reaches out with the force, desperate to claw the lightsaber out of his husband’s grasp, but it will not budge, Obi-Wan’s own power keeping it in place. The man is telling the truth, the force is telling him so. If Anakin does not give up his power, his husband will kill himself. His Master will kill himself. 

Once again, the force whispers of Anakin’s eternal master, the man who Anakin should serve for his life, all of it’s energy directed towards the man who has balanced the dark inside of him with the light. The man who can teach him to achieve that as well. The man that can reunite his family. His eyes drift to Ahsoka, the apprentice, the daughter, that he had lost so long ago. She had remained with his spouses, had remained with his husband all this time. He could have her as an ally again if he gives in, if he allows his Empire to fall into another Republic, one lead by his husband and wife. He could see that government be put in place to eradicate slavery. He didn’t have to be alone in the dark anymore. 

Yellow eyes give way to blue and he deactivates his lightsaber, hooking it to his belt before taking steps towards his husband similar to how his wife did. He cannot allow his husband to die. Wrapping his hands around Obi-Wan’s he moves the hilt away from his chest, ignoring the flinch his husband gives. He leans down, pressing his forehead against Obi-Wan’s, a gesture of Jedi affection before whispering,

“I am so sorry, My Love, so so sorry.” Sobs rip through him and Anakin finds himself in a bear hug from his husband, who sobs into his shoulder as well. Padmé and Ahsoka let them have their moment, hope being born in the galaxy once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and now we begin the restoration period! it won't be easy folks! let me know what you thought of the chapter and thank you for reading :)


	10. returning light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they're working through issues

The day after the Emperor and Emperor have handed power over to General Kenobi, citizens of the Empire still talk in hushed whispers afraid of being condemned. They have heard of the destruction of the Death Star, have seen the Battle of Coruscant that was fought between the rebels and the imperials. They know things are changing, but they don’t know how and so the whispers of fear can still be heard rising in the atmosphere to where Obi-Wan once again stands alone on his favorite balcony. The words ringing in his ears from when Anakin had announced him Emperor Kenobi, Padmé and himself stepping down. They each had grabbed his hand from behind at the press conference where he first addressed the people, Senator Kosel winking at him from the front of his large and growing audience at the time. 

“My fellow citizens of the First Galactic Empire, I am sincerely honored to have served you as Emperor for these last eight years, but it is time for my wife and I to step down, to regain some semblance of a normal life… We thank you for your support of us all this time and we sincerely hope you grant our successor the same respect…” During that speech that Anakin had given hours ago, the only thing Obi-Wan had been able to focus on was the fact that no way in hell did Anakin write it himself. Laughter had traced his veins as he shoved it down deep inside. Now, sobered from the dose of hilarity and unfathomable events, Obi-Wan stands leaning over the balcony he has spent many evenings on over the years, looking over the cityline that is now his with a cool glass in his hand. Unlike when he’s sure Anakin or Padmé ever looked at it, he feels unsure and scared. All that he has sacrificed in life was for this, was for the Jedi, and although he trusts that it is right, he is unsure of whether or not he is the man for it. The force sings its clear rejection of that and he sighs, kicking back the rest of the whiskey in his glass. The force had told him to right a great wrong long ago and he had finally done it. After all, who was he to question the thing he had served all along?

Darkness still thrums alive in his soul, but he casts in back in the shadows, locking it away like Windu and Yoda had taught him after the death of his master, after Obi-Wan had slightly given in at the Battle of Naboo. He had tapped into it when Anakin needed him to, the way he had bent for the man many times over the years. There was no individual Obi-Wan would give himself up for more than Anakin, Padmé, and his three children, but he was a Jedi and he needed to be a Jedi. He needed to give up his selfishness and his fear for the greater good, the way he had always done. So with a deep breath, he walks back inside of his chambers, past the bed and away from his spouses to his own chambers, feeling their eyes in the back of his head. 

“Obi-Wan…?” Padmé calls and he ignores her, knowing that even if he wanted to forgive them for how they have treated both him and the galaxy, he wasn’t quite ready yet.

 

 

Padmé and Anakin watch the man walk through their room with attentive eyes, following each and every twitch their husband makes as he passes by them and out of the room. Padmé calls out and is ignored, the two of them being left in their bed again. After Anakin and Obi-Wan had separated days ago, the man had called Senator Kosel, calling off the attack on Coruscant. Rebel fighters had ascended and flown out of the atmosphere at once, working at the direct call of their traitorous husband. He had kissed both Anakin and Padmé deeply before taking Ahsoka and walking away from them. Ever since that, he had barely talked to or touched them. In fact, the last time they had was when they held his hands the first time he addressed the public. He had betrayed them, but they had betrayed him first, long before he did in return and so, they know they are at fault. In guilt, they don’t touch each other either, the unspoken vow being they wouldn’t until their husband returned to them. 

“What are we going to do?” Anakin asks his wife, desperateness in his tone. Padmé casts him a side glance before looking down at her hands in shame.

“We have to wait for him to forgive us and help him the best we can,” she answers in a hushed tone, keeping her eyes solely focused on her hands. Her first instinct whenever Anakin got anxious like this was to comfort him and tell him everything was okay and this time… This time it wasn’t. It wasn’t okay and she couldn’t look at Anakin or the urge to comfort would overwhelm her. They had hurt the man who had always been there for both of them in their quest for power and now they had to suffer the consequences of assuming Obi-Wan would follow them unquestioningly. 

 

 

Ahsoka had left immediately after her talk with Obi-Wan, slipping the location of her home on a chip into his pocket, not stopping to speak with Anakin or Padmé. Obi-Wan had destroyed it immediately without looking, knowing that even if Ahsoka had the best of intentions he couldn’t give Padmé or Anakin any opportunity to find the three of them yet. The information was far too dangerous to know or have. Their goodbyes had been tearful, Ahsoka clinging to her father tightly and not letting go for several minutes. 

“Bring us home soon, okay?” Tears swam in her large blue eyes and in his as she had said this.

“I promise you, Ahsoka, you will be brought home soon. We will be a family again,” he smiled, hugging her briefly once again before the girl set off back towards wherever she had hidden with his other children, the ones he missed so much. 

“Tell them hello from me, young one. Tell them I miss them and love them so much,” he choked out as she climbed into the x-wing. 

“I will,” she promised and closed the hatch, flying out and up into the atmosphere of Coruscant. Obi-Wan had watched until the ship had disappeared from sight before even attempting to leave the hangar.

 

 

Obi-Wan ignores his spouses for two whole weeks after the events in the hangar. As much as he often wants to run into their arms and surrender himself once again, he knows that would go against everything he has done to restore peace to the galaxy. Being Emperor is exhausting, but Serena remains by his side, aiding and advising when he needs it. The rebellion had put their faith into Obi-Wan and knew that a smooth transition would work better than an overthrow. They have to route out the weeds growing in their garden, have to take care of the remaining political figures still loyal to the Empire. Anybody in the senate that wasn’t involved with the rebellion knew that it was a government take over, so it was still fairly easy to tell who was imperial and who was resistance. 

“How are your husband and wife, Obi-Wan?” Serena inquires as she sits in his chair with her feet propped up on his desk. He is over by the window as they stand in the office of the Emperor, the very office Obi-Wan smuggled transmissions out of for years prior. For a moment, he can swear he sees the tear tracks left the day he overthrew his husband and wife, but he knows it is only an allusion, the window having been washed multiple times since. He sucks in a deep breath at the question, sharp eyes cutting over to look at his friend. 

“I wouldn’t know,” he responds and through the faint reflection in the glass he can see the young woman roll her eyes. He swears for someone who is so mature and put together the girl can be… well she can be a real girl sometimes, one far too young to be a position like the one she is in. Sometimes he forgets that she just recently turned twenty, that she is far younger than even Ahsoka. 

“Well that’s fucking stupid, bro,” Ah yes, the words of the youth were foul these days, “you worked for so long to get them back, why would you not embrace their return to you and the light?” He looks back out at the city and realizes that young as she may be, Serena has a very valid point. 

“Perhaps… Perhaps you have a point, Senator,” he responds and hears her suck her teeth a bit. He almost misses when they were just allies instead of friends, if only to keep her comfortable attitude and vocabulary at bay. As they finish their daily lunch together, he knows he has to have words with his spouses and soon. That night, even. He misses sleeping with them in their bed, in his bed. He misses his family.

 

 

Anakin and Padmé are relaxing in their bed when the door swings open, Obi-Wan’s frame being outlined by the bright light of the corridor behind him. The room is dark and it is quite late as he strolls in, but it doesn’t matter to them, they hadn’t been sleeping well for weeks anyway. He takes a hesitant seat at the edge of the bed, both spouses watching with wide eyes. Anakin resists the urge to pull the ginger man into his arms and bury his nose into his hair and beard as he places soft kisses anywhere Obi-Wan will let him. 

“Hello, Beloveds,” he whispers into the dark and two pairs of hands grip him quickly, pulling him into a pile up and grasping with strong holds. They bury their faces in his beard, hair, chest, stomach, trying to make sure that he is really there, is really talking to them again. 

“Obi-Wan…” They both whisper and mutter and moan, his simple presence making them feel happy and complete in a way they haven’t for years. They feel like their old selves again, like the ones that stole chaste kisses in hiding from the Jedi and the Republic, like the ones who married at Varykino as the flowers bloomed at the start of spring. They feel young. 

“I’ve missed you both so much,” he whispers and grasps both of their hands in his as they lay there and look up at the blank ceiling. It reminds Obi-Wan of where they’re headed now. They’re headed for nothing, they have nothing that requires them anymore once he transforms the government. Their future is blank and bright and everything Obi-Wan has ever wanted. No responsibilities, no war, just him and the ones he loves. He has done his duty to the Jedi, has been as selfless and as kind and as compassionate as he could have ever been. The force promises happiness in the air around him and his husband and wife, Obi-Wan forgiving them with each and every breath he takes in their presence. 

“We have to take things slowly, okay? I love you, I want you, but I don’t know if I fully trust either of you yet,” he blurts out and feels the weight lift off of his soul. He knows now that they have to be honest with each other, have to be open with the things that bother them. 

“Okay,” Anakin agrees easily, slipping his hands up under the hem of Obi-Wan’s shirt. They’re cold and clammy from the anxiety that overcame the younger man when Obi-Wan had walked in. 

“I… I just want you here, Obi-Wan. I will do whatever it takes to have you here,” Padmé half sobs into the place she pressed her face into on his torso. He runs his fingers through her silky hair and allows the three of them to remain there, blissfully intertwined. Eventually, the three of them fall into the deepest sleep they’ve had in the longest time, finally at some state of peace with their place in the galaxy. 

 

 

Ahsoka steps down onto Yavin 4, ready to see her little buddies more than anything else. They were safe now, their father having risked everything for them, for the three of them to live the rest of their lives in peace. To live as a family, the one they should have been all along. Luke and Leia are ten and they will meet their biological father for the first time at ten. The thought saddens her, but it was necessary for their safety and someday they will understand that. 

“SNIPS!” She hears and spins, coming into contact with two small Skywalker children. 

“Hello, Young Ones,” she whispers, tears blooming in her eyes like the fresh flowers of Naboo at the start of spring. The air on Yavin 4 feels lighter like Ahsoka’s heart and she tugs them extra close, happy to be exactly where she is with the children she cares for so much.

“Come on, Snips! You have to see what Leia and I did while you were away,” Little Luke says, pulling her along through the bunker towards their little hut. Ahsoka lets herself freely laugh for what feels like the first time in years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and now the process of forgiveness begins. let me know what you thought of the chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> obi-wan reunites

Obi-Wan has slowly began forgiving his husband and wife, sharing their bed and his heart once again. He remembers the secrets and the lies they each told too well, the way they skirted around each other in a game for power. A game he won because his spouses basically considered him irrelevant. He shoves down the resentment that threatens to arise, too aware of his line that he walks to maintain his darkness within his light. 

The time has come like he knew it would eventually. He’s excited even if he fears for their lives even now. It’s no secret that all three of them have enemies, enemy on top of enemy on top of enemy. Anakin has publicly stated that he supports Obi-Wan one hundred and ten percent, telling a holonet reporter that Obi-Wan is the perfect man to mend the holes he may have left behind. He’s very happy to be retired, his wife and him are thinking of moving to Naboo. The countryside most likely, near where his wife’s family owns a home. Yes, he said to the reporter, they are excited to be away from all of the hustle and bustle of Coruscant, they think they have earned a happy retirement. 

Obi-Wan sucks his teeth as he thinks about the tedious interview that had happened months ago. He knew it had been necessary, that he had to solidify his rule, but it was still bothersome. He sits in Anakin’s old office, the very same room he had lived in during the majority of his time as a Jedi, and finds himself uncomfortable there. So many things had happened to the boy who had moved into these quarters when he was thirteen, he is far from the person he once was. He is far from the person he was when Anakin found them after they broke into the Imperial Palace the three of them now call home. 

Anakin and Padmé were supposed to go to Naboo, but Anakin had made a later statement to the press saying he wished to stay with his dearest friend Emperor Kenobi until he was sure the man was settled into his new position of power. 

In private, the younger man had convinced his husband to let him stay with much more… _provocative_ methods. He pushes the chair away from the desk, spinning himself around a bit with a small grin on his face. He had allowed his husband and wife to stay thanks to those pleasant methods. 

It has been months since he took over the Empire. Months since he worried about what Anakin and Padmé were doing to the galaxy. Now, he is very clearly the Emperor, citizens all over the galaxy bowing to him as he works with Mon Mothma to reestablish a democratic state. There’s a knock on the door. 

“Come in,” he says airily, righting himself at the center of the desk as Senator Kosel storms in and plops herself in the chair in front of him, throwing her legs over the side, bending her body into a v-shape as she huffs in annoyance.

“Afternoon, Serena, is everything alright?” The girl huffs again and Obi-Wan resists the urge to roll his eyes at her antics. He knows exactly what this is about, knows since the first time Serena broke down to him how her “relationship” with the Senator from Pantora was going. She finally looks at her closest friend, who also happens to currently be Emperor of the galaxy, and laughs a bit scornfully. 

“Good news for _you_ , Pantora has finally agreed to join a Senate when it’s put in place, making it the final old republic system to join in on the idea,” Serena says and Obi-Wan acknowledges it with a tilt of his head, waiting for the bad news for her.

“Bad news for _me_ , the Senator said he would only do so if I agreed to go on another date with him. I mean, Obi-Wan, the nerve of him! I broke up with him months ago when he called me delusional!” Obi-Wan laughs at Serena’s outrage, knowing one way or another she still liked the blue man from the Outer Rim moon with the “wispy purple hair.” Her words not his. 

“Utterly unbelievable,” he says in return, his voice completely deadpan. Serena narrows her eyes a bit, but allows the subject to rest. The both know very little would stop her from going on that date regardless of why or how it was scheduled. Obi-Wan waits patiently for the wedding invitation. 

“Obi-Wan, I-“ she cuts off, sitting up to look him directly in the eye, “I know that you and I discussed what my role will be in the new government since I technically don’t have a planet to be the Senator of any longer and I was thinking…” She trails off, scrubbing a hand down her face as if she thinks that whatever she is about to suggest is dumb. The force hums to him that it is not, that it is in fact a very good idea and he brushes against her mind with his force signature, urging her to continue. 

"I want to run for the position of Senator of Coruscant. I know it’s rather unimportant since this is where the chancellor is stationed but it will appease my need to serve while also allowing me to remain close to Mon Mothma incase she needs me,” she finishes quickly, sighing in relief that she has finished her request. He understands her nerves in asking this of him, knows that he had already safeguarded her a position for the rest of her life inside of the administration but he understands that isn’t what she wanted with her life. As her friend, he will support her decision. 

“I think that is a phenomenal idea, Serena, I will back you one hundred percent,” he smiles at her and laughs when she runs around the desk and hugs him. He is confident he has found a friend for life when the girl excuses herself, happy to run to alert her team that they had an announcement to make. 

Obi-Wan knows that the time has come and as excited as he is, he still fears that this will be too much for them, that they are too innocent to step foot anywhere near Coruscant. They have recently turned ten and he knows it would be cruel to unnecessarily keep his family apart any longer. He clicks a button on his comm to contact the hangar bay. 

“Get a transport ready for me. Multi-passenger. I will be down in a few standard minutes,” he says and hears the clone on the other end approve his request He sighs, leaning back in his chair and grabbing the few things he will need to locate and contact Ahsoka. It’s times like this where he wishes he had kept the location she gave to him all of those months ago, even if it put them into danger. He wishes he did for a brief second, knowing he made the right choice no matter how frustrating the situation is and stands, ready to head down to the transport. He opens his comm and records a message for his spouses. 

“Hello Anakin and Padmé, it’s me, Obi-Wan Kenobi,” he says in the common opening Jedi message knowing Anakin will roll his eyes when he hears it, “I’m going on a brief trip and so I will be gone a couple of days. I will miss you my loves, contact me if you need me.” He ends it there, sending it on it’s way before calling Mon.

“Hello?” Her voice is smooth as she answers. 

“Hey Mon, I was wondering if you could run the Empire in my place for a couple of days while I go on a brief mission,” he says and smiles at the choking noise he hears on the other end. 

“I-I… Of course, Master Kenobi I would be _honored_ to.” He moves the comm away from his faces to laugh a bit at her reaction before responding. 

“Thank you very much. You know Senator… This might be good practice for another political position coming your way sometime soon,” He says, once again moving back so he won’t audibly laugh at the shocked choking on the other end. 

“Have a nice day, Mon,” he says once he has controlled himself and hears the woman try to collect herself. 

“You as well, Master Kenobi.”

 

 

The transport is smaller than he would have liked, but he hates abusing his temporary power, so he didn’t complain to the hangar crew. He sits in open space now, alone in a space craft for the first time in years and allows himself a moment to breathe. He has a list of rebellion bases Mon had given him when they had joined forces months ago and he resolves to check each one for his children. He closes his eyes and asks the force which sings around the moon around Yavin. He smiles and hopes it isn’t leading him wrong, setting course for Yavin IV.

 

 

The moon of Yavin IV is of nice climate and Obi-Wan descends the ramp of his ship in civilian clothing. He knows that these people may still recognize him, that he hasn’t done nearly enough to disguise the fact that he is the Emperor of the known galaxy. He hopes he isn’t shot before he finds Ahsoka. He walks forward, enjoying the view that was once so familiar to him. Pilots are running around, others mingle. He walks into a crowded tent and looks for a suitable person to ask if they have seen Fulcrum, hero of the Rebellion. 

He sits on a small wooden crate and closes his eyes, feeling out with the force for where his wayward children might hide. The planet hols the promise of something for him, but it doesn’t reveal where his obviously heavily shielded children reside. He sighs. 

“Excuse me, Sir, would you by any chance know where I can find Fulcrum?” A random rebel pauses to look down at him like he’s grown six heads. Obi-Wan feels the dark in him want to snap at the obviously incompetent soldier, but the light says patience and so Obi-Wan waits with a tilt of his head, keeping the light at the forefront of his decision making. 

“Um, yeah? She’s just in the last hut to your left sixth row like always,” the young rebel says, rolling his eyes and walking away from the Jedi Master/Emperor of the Galaxy. Obi-Wan wants to demand more respect for a moment, but he lets the infuriating youth walk away, not willing to give up who exactly he is quite yet. He doesn’t quite understand the directions the youth gave him, but he leaves the hut regardless, walking back out into the expanse of rebel activities. 

_“Dad?”_ He hears and spins to find a young girl looking at him from across the way. Her hair is prettily braided, the length of it to her waist. Big brown eyes stare up at him and he feels something in him break. His little girl had grown so much in his absence. 

_“Leia,”_ he breathes and attacks the girl, wrapping his arms around her. He can feel the girl shaking as she starts to sob in happiness, overwhelmed with emotion at finding her father again. 

“Hey! Put her dow- _Dad?”_ Luke stands three feet from him, the roughness to his features softening slowly as he realizes who exactly is holding his crying sister. The man had made her cry yes, but as tears pool in his own eyes he understands and throws himself around his dad’s leg. 

_“Luke…_ Oh, my babies I’m so happy to see you again,” he says and lowers to a kneel allowing his children to embrace him without crushing him. They stand there for a while, rebels watching wearily before he pulls back and wipes the tears from his children’s eyes. He blinks his own blooming tears away before he stands, holding out a hand for each of them to take. 

“Will you show me your home?” The kids pull him to a small hut and rush him inside, him running straight into Ahsoka. She looks down at him in shock and he wonders when she became so much taller than him, why he didn’t notice when they saw each other all those months ago. 

“I came like you asked,” he whispers, “ I came to bring you home.” Ahsoka throws herself around him and the four sit on the floor together, content and happy to just be a family again. He knows he has to bring them home to the Palace, has to share this moment with Anakin and Padmé, but he allows a moment for himself. He had succeeded in making the galaxy safe for his children again and no matter what else, he was happy. He hugs a twin to each side and listens as they prattle on about their mundane life on the moon. Obi-Wan can’t imagine anything better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so sorry this took so long to update. I don't know when i'll b able to again, but I'm gonna try my best to be more regular. let me know what you thought of the chapter and come chat with me on tumblr: [intergalacticfuckup](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/intergalacticfuckup%20)

**Author's Note:**

> well, now that Darth Vader's Love is finished I'm starting this fic! Let me know what you guys think of it so far or if you have another idea for me to write about !


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